DECISIONS
by EOlover2
Summary: A strange and twisted smile appears on her face letting a sigh escapes from the bottom of her chest. She had been expecting to see the result in the small tube, it had been planned by her. And now she just couldn't believe it. But something was wrong ... something that even she didn't know. Olivia needs Elliot now more than ever.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is a story I'm actually writing in another language but I'm translating it to English so I can share it with more people… hope you like it. ;)

Disclaimer: SVU and its characters are not mine.

CH1

The unit was abandoned and it only could be heard a footsteps of the uniformed lurking in the building. All detectives had left about an hour ago begging for a little rest and a relaxing atmosphere at home... well almost everyone. Near the captain's office, lit by the dim light of the lamp of the old wooden desk is a woman. Rotating slowly from side to side in her chair with a doubting expression on her face and staring somewhere in the lonely space that surrounds her. Her eyes look tired, decorated by a pair of dark eye circles, her skin looked pale down the soft light, her hair tied in a ponytail letting down a couple of strands on her tired expression. In her left hand she holds an object no bigger than a pen with which she unconsciously plays with.  
She is thinking about how her life has elapsed up to this point, and the prospect that her future means now. She has been accustomed to radical changes lately. Almost a year ago her co-worker, who was with her for over 13 years, had resigned from overnight without giving a single explanation. He rejected her calls and evaded her at all costs. The situation was complicated, she knew. And maybe it wouldn't be that complicated if he had not become someone so indispensable to her. It's not something that she had planned, or even thought about occurring. But maybe she could have foreseen it. It is normal that you get used to a colleague company. That happens to everyone. But most people know that those people have to stay on the division of professional and personal life. The problem is when both are mixed. When you are a person whose professional life occupies more of your time than your personal life you run the risk that those who must remain on the boundary cross it and became a large part of your almost nonexistent personal life. It is not easy to create this division.  
She tried always to keep the painted line clearly, but it was not possible at all times. In this work, and after so many years together, you end up worrying more for those who work by your side than for yourself. The interesting thing is that she always lived thinking about how to keep things in perfect balance. But finally the fact that she is thinking again on it is nonsense. He left his life in a blink. There is no balance to maintain when everything has gone to hell.  
She looks up and let her eyes run into the abandoned and empty desk that once belonged to his former partner. She continues sliding her gaze up to the object in her hand. A strange and twisted smile appears on her face letting a sigh escapes from the bottom of her chest. She had been expecting see the result in the small tube, it had been planned by her. And now she just couldn't believe it.  
"Olivia?" A familiar voice distracts her and makes her turn toward the entrance.  
"Captain. How long have you been in there? "She asked taking down the target object to hide it in the pocket of her jacket.  
"Not much. What are you still doing here? "He asks cautious without leaving his place.  
"I was thinking about ... things" She decides to keep the information to herself. She rises closing her desktop's drawers and takes his little bag.  
"Elliot?" Hearing his name still caused her a strange chest pain maybe even anger. Without much encouragement she smiles and looks down. "No ... not really. Only things "  
"Do you feel better?" He asks really interested on knowing the answer. The last few weeks he has noticed discomfort in his detective. He is really worried about her being sick so continuously.  
"Yes. It's just the work. I just need some rest." She doesn't look too convinced of her own words and tried to hide it behind a fake smile. She walks to the man but doesn't stop until she exits the hallway. "See you tomorrow Don" she takes leave trying to avoid further conversation.  
Donald Cragen always strives to meet his detectives and certainly noticed the strangeness in Olivia. After many years working with her he had learned to read her, which is an extremely difficult task considering that she has always tried to stay close to the whole world. And something in her face tonight made him worry. Something was wrong ... he could guess. Something that she didn't even know.

AN: I know it s short but it's just the beginning. Rand R please?


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This fic I can upload this fic more often cause I'm just translating it for now. And I already have like 17 chapters. Though, they are short… well at least the firsts ones. I promise they will be longer soon.

I hope you enjoy this story as much as my other readers are. Please let me know your opinion I need encouragement! : )

Disclaimer: SVU it's not mine I'm just playing with the characters.

CH2  
The months passed quickly, work was plentiful and things seemed normal in the unit. Except one... Olivia. Every day she looked more tired, even emaciated. Her teammates have noticed it but said nothing. Lately she has been in a really bad mood and no one wants to risk disrespecting her with any bad comments about her appearance. They prefer to think it's just tiredness of work and let it go.  
Olivia and Nick Amaro walk silently through the streets of Manhattan after a visit to the parents of the victim. She looks vaguely to the buildings as he watches her with a worried expression on his face.  
"What?" Olivia questions with a frustrated pitch noticing his gaze.  
"Ahm? ... you feel good? " He asks without much encouragement as she rolls her eyes up.  
"Nick is the thousandth time you ask me that on the day. Do I look that bad? "The annoyance is evident in her voice's tone.  
"Well... you look a little tired lately. Have flu again?" They keep walking trying not to look at each other.  
"It's nothing. It's just the cold season " Olivia answered lightly kicking the snow that was left on the edge of the sidewalk.  
"Sure. Maybe you should go to the doctor for some vitamins or something. "  
"Don't worry. This always ... ahm ... every year I get sick." She lied trying to stop his interrogation. Actually She do went to the doctor a week ago and that evening was going to query to collect her results. But none of that should matter to her new partner, that part of her life was on the personal side of the division she has struggled to maintain and never wanted to mix them ever again, not even a bit, her working life have to be separated of her personal one.  
"Good." He answers without being convinced at all. They get to the sedan and before she could board the passenger seat he stops her grabbing her arm gently "you know you can trust me right?" He says with a confident smile which she responds with a discouraged one.  
"Yeah" She turns and enters the warm car drawing within the seconds of privacy she has to let out a big sigh. She really doesn't like lying, and to be honest with his ex partner it was almost impossible to do. Elliot just knew she was lying just with a look into her eyes. But if we see the bright side of the matter ... his new partner could not ever read her well enough to know when she was lying.

AN: I KNOW! THIS IS THE SHORTER CHAPTER EVER! XD I'LL UPDATE SOON BUT PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This is a little bit longer than the first two chapters!... I don't know how many of you guys are Reading it but I'll continue updating it : ) so please let me know.

Thanks for the review ahm… guests? : )

Disclaimer: law and order svu and its characters are not mine…

CH3  
Lying on the big couch of his living room, for the thousandth time he is thinking carefully in his life. In his family, his oldest daughter about to walk down the aisle, in his children taking their way in their careers, in his younger child growing incredibly fast, in his ex-wife dating a new man, in his mother aging alone by sea ... all of them making their lives far from him. But the person that is around his mind for almost all the time is his best friend, or former best friend. Although he had made the decision to leave work and get away from ... everything, it didn't mean he had stopped caring about her. In fact if he had made the decision to leave was exactly looking for the welfare of his partner ... or at least that's what he thought. He knew that if he disappeared with no a single world she would get mad and he thought it would be easier for her to forget about him that way. But it wasn't easy for him to forget her. Especially if he kept wondering every day how would she be without him taking care of her back. What was she doing at the time? Was she fine?  
The door's bell get him away from his thoughts. He let out a sigh before taking enough strength to get up from his comfortable position. Once stood, he stretched a bit letting his muscles relax before walking towards the door. When he looked out the window he was surprised to see Odafin Tutuola waiting on the other side. He rushes to open and watch his former teammate with a doubtful expression .  
"What are you doing here?" He asks without much kindness.  
"Hi Elliot I missed you too" replied the man, somewhat aggressive.  
"Hello. Sorry I wasn't expecting to see you again ... "  
"Me neither." Odafin accepted without much encouragement.  
"Then? What happens? " Elliot can feel the fear attacking him noticing the dark countenance that caused his questions on Fin's eyes.  
"Elliot… is Olivia ... ahm ..." Elliot's heart stops for a second and a thousand things fill his mind.  
"Is she ok? Something happen? " He asks with a tone of desperation approaching Fin, who remains silent and with a look of sadness.  
"Fin please tell me she is ok! Was she hurt? Is she… is she alive?" His pitch get higher demanding an immediate answer.  
"Elliot cam down! She is alive but ... not exactly fine. " It reliefs him to hear that Olivia was alive but the concern is still present.  
"Fin what happens?"  
"She needs you bro. She will only listen to you" Without hesitation Elliot takes his coat, the keys of the house and goes straight to a motorcycle not far away. Fin hears the roar of the engine on and just watches him with questions without knowing what to do.  
"Where is she?" Elliot puts on his leather jacket demanding to know her location.  
"Ahm ... in her apartment." As he obtains the information he strongly accelerates and disappears around the corner of the street leaving Fin behind.  
"In what problem you get now, Benson" He stammers while driving at a high speed, higher than allowed, which he doesn't mind at the time. Although it had caused relief to know that she was alive, he could not help but feel his heart pounding and his stomach churn with intrigue. The concern is pervasive and his mind is haunted with lots of different ideas.  
Elliot crosses the bridge to Manhattan quickly dodging cars on his way earning a pair of horns and shouts from the other drivers. On entering the city he moves swiftly through the streets trying to avoid traffic lights and traffic avenues. Fortunately he knew the shortest way to reach the upper west side of the island and he takes the liberty of grabbing a shortcut through Central Park. Soon he finds building and leaves the motorcycle in the first space he founds getting off it with agility. Elliot walks with big strides and hurried to the building's entrance where he enters pushing aside the woman he barely notice who was opening the door.  
"Excuse me?!" The blonde complains but he completely ignores her and decides to climb the stairs skipping a couple of steps in a single step. He gets to the fourth floor in less than half a minute and rushes to the door of the apartment which he hits harder than he intended.

AN: next chapter? How would Olivia react at his unexpected appearance? Who will not be happy at all?

Wanna know?... R&R maybe?


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks so much for the few reviews! I like to read reviews! I know they are really short chapters, some of them will be longer. But there's a reason. You see… I'm writing this fic on spanish and updating it on another webpage which has a word's limit so I can't write them toooo long. "/ But I'm trying to update it frequently. Please be patient with that. : ) I hope you are enjoying this and I'll totally love to know your opinions… please Review it doesn't take more than 2 min! and it will make me really happu! PLEASE!

I suppose there are some spelling and grammar mistakes which I'll take care of later.

Disclaimer: Law and order svu ad its characters are not mine I'm just playing with them… :)

CH 4  
The heavy blows makes the three detectives turn toward the door. John decides to open but Nicolas lifts before him. "I go," he says with a gesture making John return to his place on the sofa. "What is the rush Amanda?" He shouts assuming he would find the blonde at the other side of the door. But he opens the door to a man that has a serious or even annoying expression.  
"Who are you?" Nicolas asks stiffening against Elliot, who ignores him and gives a step in. "Hey stop!" Nick holds his arm immediately stopping him and obstructing the way with his body. Elliot gives him a withering look and decides to push him away.  
"Elliot?" Olivia's soft voice is heard in the back of the room and holds back the confrontation. Everyone turns to see the woman sitting on the couch at the corner, but her glare doesn't move away from his former partner's eyes and a smile bright her face.  
"Liv" Nicolas releases him when his name was said by her. He knows full well who he was. Elliot doesn't waste any time and walks into the living room to get to Olivia. He bends down and extends his arms to embrace her. He may notice the tired expression behind her smile but he completely ignores it. He feels her arms corresponding enthusiastically his embrace. Just the fact that she was there in front of him was enough t calm his demons. "I missed you" she whispers and holds him more tightly.  
Amanda enters the apartment with a couple of bags and watchs the scene with some hesitation. Nick rushes to help her. "What's going on?" She asks. Nick walks into the kitchen leaving the bags on the counter.  
"The Unnamable" he replies softly.  
"Oh ... wow" She can recognize the same man who had pushed her in front of the building. Amanda looks around looking for the photo and try to memorize the man's face to compare it with the one who was hugging Olivia. She really can't see him well because his back was turned completely to her so she waits patiently for them to move.  
"Look at you Benson" Elliot says looking squarely at his ex partner " I leave you a couple of months and they already have you all spoiled" his comment does get an unexpected laugh from Liv which floods the entire room. John is infected with her laugh and smiles a little. But Nicolas doesn't find Elliot's words funny at all. He lets out a strange grunt while removing food from the plastic bags.  
"Liv, what's wrong?" Elliot asks holding Liv's soft hand.  
"Nothing" She answers calmly.  
"Agh" Nick's complains but she ignores him not looking away from the eyes of the man before her. Elliot however doesn't ignore the little whiny noise. It bothers him ... not really knowing why but it bothers him. Amanda comes over to try and calm Nicolas preventing him to make a scene.  
"You are lying." And there he is, after nearly a year away from her, still locating immediately the lie signals in her expression. Reading her as an open book without any difficulty, no doubt that her answer was just to not worry him. Fin's worried expression comes to his mind making it clear that something was wrong. "Something happened at work? Do they hurt you? "Elliot asks trying to guess what had happened that made that a worried Odafin had arrived at his door that day. She shakes her head but doesn't leave out a single word.  
In the short way he had made from his home to the apartment he had already made a couple of hypothesis of his own. Some perhaps more chilling than others, the first idea was a gunshot wound, which squeezed his heart. Then he thought something worse, memories Silver View attacked him mercilessly. He didn't even know what had happened then, but nothing good for sure. He had his own suspicious about that day… suspicious which he could never dare to take tosolid words, not if she did not want to. And now it panics him to think that perhaps that was the situation again ... or worse. Either way he blames himself for not being there. In their years together as partners, no one had never ever hurt Olivia with a bullet. He hates himself for leaving her and hates even more whoever was his new partner. And he could guess who her current partner was and his muscles tense with the need to annihilate him.  
"Someone is not taking good care of your back right?" He says almost unconscious swinging the hint to the young policeman who had opened the door.  
"She sick, idiot!" Nicolas couldn't keep silent and spit the words in frustration. The tension made presence in the room. Elliot was tense but stepped aside his anger at the insult and watched Liv, hiss Liv, with doubt seeking an explanation. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.  
"Can we be left alone for a moment?" She asks to everyone in general.  
"No" but Nick replied without hesitation. Elliot stood up and faced the young man but Liv's warm hand stopped him. Olivia turns to look at Nicolas with disapproval but doesn't say a single word. He sighs angrily but doesn't claim more.  
"Come on guys lets go for Chinese. It's on me" Amanda's sweet voice is heard. She pulls Nick's arm. John gets up from the couch and walks behind them. Fin already was on the door's frame not been noticed by anyone until then. The four detectives close the door behind them.

AN: Coming up next: Liv and Ell have much to talk about… what's wrong with Olivia? Why is Nicolas so mad? REVIEW if you want to know! : )


	5. Chapter 5

AN: :) I'm really happy about how much visits this story had had! Thought there are not that much reviews... I would really really appreciate much more of them! It doesn't take much of your time so please please review. Encourage me! : P  
THANKS for those who had actually review! : )  
This chapter has a little tension between our main characters and not many answers yet... but rather even more doubts. Which I promise will be answered soon!  
I'm working on the translation of the next chapter this weekend! So keep tune!  
well with that been said... ENJOY!

DISCLAIMER: Law and order svu and all its characters are NOT mine!

CH5  
Their eyes reconnected and Olivia gives him a slight smile. Elliot can't help but find a singular shine in his friend's chocolate eyes, a shine that he doesn't remember ever seeing.

"he is your new partner, isn't he?" Elliot breaks the silence leaving out these words as normal as he can. But the discomfort tone is perceived hidden in his question. She turns to the door understanding who is he talking about and nods. "He is very young" Ell complains vaguely remembering the image of Nicolas at the front door.

"Want a drink?" Olivia asks rising from the sofa ignoring the comment about his partner. Elliot realized that it was an issue she didn't want to talk about and it immediately makes him wonder why. A twisted smile appeared on his face at the thought of Olivia trying to teach the rookie detective to work at her own pace and way ... But then that smile disappears remembering that he himself is to blame for that and knowing the frustration that that could lead to Liv. He doesn't even dare to think the risk she might have been in for working with a rookie blue.

"Elliot?" her voice makes him back from his thoughts. She is already in the kitchen with a pair of glasses and a pitcher of water in front of her. "You want?"  
"Ahm ... Yes, sorry" He walks slowly to the kitchen's ledge and takes the few seconds that the universe gives to him to watch his friend cautiously. Then he could find the difference, the pair of dark circles under her eyes, the ashen color of her skin, her lips cracked and dry and a couple of wrinkles that decorate the corners of her eyes ... Those that he didn't witnessed their appearance. But also rediscovers the strange shine in her eyes when she looks up to offer the full glass of water.  
"Thank you" He accepts gratefully taking the glass in his hand but he doesn't take it to his mouth. He doesn't stop watching her even when she gives a drink enjoying the freshness that is offered by the water to her mouth.  
Olivia notices Elliot glances but ignored them. Inside her mind she is fighting between her thoughts. In the last recent months she had been angry with Elliot for the damage he had caused her his sudden disappearance and his continued refusal but when she saw him at her apartment's door that anger disappeared being supplanted by a strange kind of relief that she could not understand. She should still be angry with him and slap the shit out of him but she just doesn't feel that way anymore... The anger was suppressed with that strange happiness.

"Why did you come?" She asks again raising her face and locking their gazes once again. There was no anger in her words but, rather, genuine doubt. She doesn't understand what had made him come out of nowhere right now.  
"Fin went to look for me" He tells letting out a sigh "He said that you needed me" at some point he had hoped that she had sent Fin to look for him but the surprise in her voice when he entered into her apartment erased that hope. She didn't even know he was on his way.

She notices some discomfort in her face before she speaks "Odafin Tutuola will hear me." Olivia says frustrated. But she was grateful that he had done it. And although it's hard to admit, she needed Elliot, now more than ever... more than anything.  
"He's just worried about you Liv. And I wonder why" Elliot tries one more time to know what happens. The irritant young detective had already given him a clue ... _"Sick"._ He hadn't considered in his earlier hypothesis. But even he did not understand what Fin meant by saying that she only would listens him. It's not like a disease is optional true? The doubt is killing him and this woman is not giving him much information.

"None of your business," She replies trying to hang on the anger she has still left. He nods silently back into the living room waiting for her to follow. But Olivia stays in the kitchen watching him intently. Finally Elliot takes a little sip of water and settles into the couch. He turns aside distracted by the trappings of the table behind him and slides his gaze up to the picture frame he knew well.  
"When do we take that photo?" He asks in the most casual tone he can, trying to break the awkward silence. She sighs before deciding to walk down the hall.

"Thirteen years ago ... I think" She says though she certainly knows the answer. It was taken exactly when she turned a year working in the unit, a year working with her partner ... With him. Elliot moves on the couch and gestured her to sit beside him. She thinks a bit before accepting the invitation and settles at the other end of the couch. "And? How was your life after ..." She doesn't need words for him to understands what she was talking about.

"My life? ..., I think I stop having a life for a long time" He replies without much happiness remembering his earlier thoughts. Everyone was making their lives away from him.

"What about your children? '" She continues really interested in knowing the answer. She was somehow connected with those kids; she had some rapprochement with each of them at some point of her partnership with Elliot. Especially with the little boy that was born not so long ago. She waits patiently watching the strange grimace that is drawn on his face. She can tell he is looking for the correct words to answer. She can read him as well as he can read her.

AN: So you want to know what's wrong with Liv? REVIEW for more! : )


	6. Chapter 6

AN: THANKS FOR READING HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING IT! REVIEW IF YOU WANT MORE PLEASE…

DISCLAIMER: LAW AND ORDER SVU IT'S NOT MINE!

CH6  
"Eli went to preschool this year, Elizabeth still at NYU, Richard decided to study in Washington so I do not see him very often ... Ahm Kathleen is almost graduating. Maureen ..." the ghost of a smile appeared on his face which fills Olivia with intrigue who continues trying to read each of his expressions. "Maureen is engaged ... busy with wedding plans ... Her sisters are helping her though." Olivia can't help smiling at the news. She had met the girl when she was no more than 15 years old and now she could not imagine her walking down the aisle. She thinks that surely Maureen's fiancé must be a good man only then Elliot would have approved it.  
"Woow ... That's good news," Olivia says unable to get rid of her smile. She starts thinking on how to formulate her next question but Elliot takes a big breath to continue talking.  
"Kathy still can't believe it, and if I'm honest neither do I." The atmosphere stars to feel less tense. Jus as if they had just see the day before. Olivia rise her legs on the couch and settle them under her body to face him so she could read him better. She had noticed how he frowned slightly at the mention of Kathy. There is some information hided that bothered him. He always did that ... And she knew that it was a matter of time before the issue came out. She unconsciously lowers her gaze to his hand looking for the golden ring that wasn't longer in its place. "But he's a good man." she had already guessed that.  
"I am delighted to know that" it was true. She was almost certain that she would never know anything about them. At least not from Elliot. But here they are, together again. "And you? ... What about you?"  
"I ..." he doubts a little in how to answer but he also knows that if he opens a bit she will give him little more information. He has the need to recover her confidence... her trust. A trust that maybe she had already offered to the new guy. Elliot feels that that confidence belongs to him and no one else. "I'm not going to lie Liv, I lost something that day. It felt like something inside me was broken" his voice is barely a whisper and his expression is full of pain ... "I faced lots of demons that I kept suppressed for years inside of me" demons she knew well.  
Olivia listens carefully trying to avoid the anger that wanted to slip away from its confinement. She had already built several times this scene in her mind in different hypotheses formulated every day. That had become her hobby for months, at least until she lost all hopes that he would ever return to her life. She had a thousand questions to ask but decided to trying not to interrupt him.  
"I'm sorry for leaving that way. I didn't want you to see me like that ... not again. I couldn't return, Tucker would have been waiting for me to commit an error. Anything to go against my neck ... And he would have found a way to drag you too" He looks up to watch Olivia, who remains silent with her eyes downcast. "Liv?" he tries to get her attention. He needs to read her eyes and know what she is thinking.  
"Processing" she replies without moving. Elliot decides to move a little closer to her and then see a small drop sliding down her pale cheek. Olivia was crying, she had missed a tear and he is not sure she has even realized it yet. She is focused on seeking to formulate her next questions.  
"I'm sorry Liv." He said with warm voice getting her to finally look up. He can see the anger mixed in the color of her eyes.  
"Why didn't you trust me ... us?" she asks softly. Elliot does not answer; he just stares intently into her eyes hoping she might find the answer in his own eyes. He had not wanted to risk their partnership, their friendship ... their love. But neither knew how to not ruin it.  
"It's complicated" she answered by repeating the same words she used a few years ago when he was the one who asked the difficult question. Elliot sighs and nods his head knowing that Liv had understood her own way. He soon expected her to shoot the next question but instead a strange expression appears on her face filling him with doubt.  
"Ugh ..." Olivia complains before getting up awkwardly and running to her bathroom. Elliot takes no stand and run after her. He listens her throwing up and immediately goes into the bathroom to help her. He stands behind her and slides his hand up to her forehead giving her some support. She feels his presence but does not bother to protest, she is too focused on controlling her breathing.  
Finally she calms down and Elliot stretches a bit to reach some paper and offers it to her. Olivia pulls the string and let the water run and disappear down the drain. She sinks into the cold tile floor trying to catch her breath, which is very difficult with the burning in her throat caused by the stomach acid. She feels the tears wetting the skin of her cheeks. Elliot gives her the piece of paper which she immediately accepts to clean her face up.  
"I'm sorry" She says with a scratchy voice. Ell notices the blush on her cheeks and knows that she is somewhat uncomfortable with his presence. So he decides to give her a few minutes of privacy and walks to the door but something catches his eye before leaving. He goes to the sink and carefully observes the little object. The doubt attacks him and he didn't waste any time in filtering his words.  
"Olivia, are you pregnant?" He asks with a high pitch and a spark of happiness escapes between his words. She turned up with wide eyes and notices the stick in his hand.  
"Elliot! I peed on that!" she says surprised. But he doesn't even mind he keep seeing her with doubt.  
"Are you?" Elliot asks restless and desperate. She smiles from ear to ear and that strange brightness reappears on her eyes. She rises from the floor and faces Elliot biting her lower lip. "Olivia!?" He replies requiring a solid answer.  
"Yes I am!" she replies snatching the little artifact from his hand and getting out of the bathroom leaving behind a petrified Elliot.

AN: WHAT DO YOU THINK? LET ME KNOW YOUR OPINIONS PLEASE! MORE REVIEWS THE FASTER I UPDATE! ;)


	7. Chapter 7

AN: THANKS SOOO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU ARE LIKING IT! I'LL UPLOAD SOON… AS LONG AS THERE ARE REVIEWS OF COURSE!

DICLAIMER: LAW AND ORDER SVU AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE

CH7  
His mind is invaded by a thousand questions while he is trying to process the sudden and unexpected information. He sees himself in the mirror and notices the surprise in his expression. Trying to put aside the shock he rushes out the bathroom to find her in the kitchen on the faucet washing her hands giving him her back. He waits impatiently for her to turn so he could ask the corresponding questions.  
Olivia takes her time to pour more water and she jumps to sit down on the kitchen's bar. Finally she looks back at his friend, who has a huge smile on his face with an expression full of doubts.  
"Does the cat take your tongue?" she said noticing his silence. Elliot shakes his head and walks to the kitchen quickly.  
"Sorry ... Pfff ... is just that… you are going to be a mom Liv!" hearing the words out load were even more incredible than they sounded in his mind. Olivia's eyes overflows with tears on hearing these words, especially coming from his mouth. "Can I ask?" He calls for permission while unwittingly getting closer to her. Her smile impresses him. He is not used to see her smile so often. Elliot had always classified her partner's smile as a moment of privilege for him ... A privilege he had enjoyed just a few times. And, actually, he really didn't expect to see that smile again, to be dedicated to him, much less after having disappeared as he did and certainly had hurt her terribly. But there he is in front of her, watching her joy.  
"Ahm ... ask the question?" she replies guessing that the doubt to know "who the father was" was killing her ex-partner.  
"Can I?" Olivia gives him a strange look before nodding. "... Who's the lucky man?" The way the question is asked makes her drop a small laugh. Then she keeps silent smiling, enjoying the look of frustration on Elliot's face that slowly becomes a hassle. "Please tell me is not that rookie" he says in an exalted tone.  
"Hahahahahaha ... Noooooooo!" Now she laughs out load. His deductions are strangely vague and somehow inconsistent for her liking. "What I am Elliot? Do you think I like to assault baby cribs?!" She can't stop laughing as she represses him for his so incoherent thoughts.  
Elliot's expression relaxes and gets infected by the woman's laugh.  
"Ok no!... then who? Do I know him?" He insists seeking for an answer. He tries to keep his mind to jump to conclusions again.  
"I don't know if you know him. It's a small world after all"  
"Olivia" He says persuasive avoiding that she starts to spin the issue.  
"The truth… I don't even know his name" Elliot's eyes wide at this answer.  
"It's some guy you met in a bar?" Suddenly the "lucky man" had become just a guy "one-night stand?"  
"And you insist on insulting me Stabler." she complains getting out of the bar to put the glass in the sink.  
"Sorry Liv ... I just don't get it."  
"wow former detective! Have your brain got rusty?! "She mocks laughing again. He makes a face of disagreement dedicating her a withering look. "Elliot… it was in vitro." She lets him know tired of hearing his disrespectful silly theories.  
"Oh" He hadn't thought of that possibility. His brain had just jump to silly conclusions. And now it is starting to do it again while unconsciously he examines Olivia's belly. "How long have you been… ahm?"  
"Mmm ... Nearly two months." She answers doing mental counting. Elliot fell silent again thinking of his next question.  
"I also have questions for you mister despaired." She expresses trying to control the anger that wants to stay afloat. Olivia walks back to the living room to get to the couch avoiding him. She takes her earlier place and turns to see him waiting for Elliot to follow. Elliot doubts while but finally decided to return to the couch, sitting as close to her as he can without evading her personal space.  
"ok.. ask" He encourages friendly, but really he is nervous. She thinks carefully about her question she has too many and doesn't know where to start. What has he did all that time?, About the lack of his marriage ring?, How he felt about the night of the shooting?. Or perhaps the most important and most difficult question ... Had he ever planned to come back if Fin hadn't gone looking for him?  
Before she can decides the phone ringing interrupts them. They see each other and she asks for a second silently, stretching and reaching for the device from the table. Elliot begs it wasn't a work call, he really wants and needs to talk to her.  
"Hello? ... Nick what happened? ...yes ...yes ... Amaro don't start with that ..." Elliot tries to understand the half of the conversation he can hear guessing who's on the other side of the line.  
And then he remembers the words of the young detective, "She is sick idiot!". Elliot tries to avoid the anger that that causes him and focuses on finding consistency with the information he already has.  
"Dammit! Can you cover me?" Elliot muscles tenses hearing her asking that to someone else. But he immediately relaxes understanding that Liv was asking to stay at home with him. In a strange way she chooses him instead of his work, instead of her irritating new partner. "Thanks ... Nicolas! not right now!"  
He does not like the irritating tone in her voice. He requires her to be calm if he wants to talk to her. Elliot waits impatiently until she hangs back the phone in its place. Their glares cross again without leaving a single word out. She knows that Elliot wants to say something, so she waits for him to speak straightening her hair back.  
"Work?" She nods but remains silent. "Mm ... Nicolas?" He repeats the name trying to assert his previous assumptions. "Too young" he says looking Olivia's eyes role up in disagreement. "And someone should teach him the difference between sickness and pregnancy don't you think?" Olivia looks down and nods… doubtfully.

AN: REVIEWS PLEASE?... DOUBTS WILL BE ANSWERED.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: THANKS SOOO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! I'LL UPLOAD SOON… AS LONG AS THERE ARE REVIEWS OF COURSE! ; )

DICLAIMER: LAW AND ORDER SVU AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE

CH8

He observes her intrigued. Elliot knows that this statement was not entirely sure.  
"Liv ...?" he tried to inquire more but she didn't let him.

"Hey! It is my turn to ask!" she complains evading the theme once again. "So ... Do you work?" She decides to start with the less difficult question. Elliot smiles and nods before answering.  
"First I was unemployed for a couple of months ... What made things between Kathy and I get complicated." He raises his hand showing the absence of his wedding ring. Sure she had already noticed but he didn't know that. She feels proud to be getting two answers in only one question without even planning it.

"I'm sorry" she says sincerely.  
"You do not have to feel sorry. It was more polite than I expected. Elli's custody is shared, I left her the car and the house but she decided to stay in the one her father inherited her so she let me keep it."  
"And how does the kids took it?" Liv asks again worried for them.  
"I think that pretty well. Neither of them lives at home more than two days and I guess they could see it coming. Kathleen hated me for a while... After Jenna it was, I was ... Difficult" Olivia nods but says nothing waiting him to continue and answer her main question. "after a few months a friend asked me if I wanted to work in a school ..." Olivia's surprise expression distracts him and makes him let out a chuckle "Yes, I am the gym teacher of an elementary school" Liv laughs aloud with him.

"Who would've guessed? Detective Stabler teaching little children ... Wow!" They keeps laughing for a while until Liv rushes to asks a second question "Do you like it?"  
"Yeah. ... It's very different to be a detective. It can't really be compare. Aside it pays me well and with the retirement money I can have a decent live." He answer being sincere hoping that this will help her to open a little more. "And you Liv? What it is like working with a rookie?" He tries hard to hide the disgust in his words but fails. And, despite he could guess it, he wants to hear her say how annoying it was to train the rookie.

"He is a good cop Elliot" she represses him "But I will not lie ... at first it was ... difficult." A couple of silent seconds passed while she adjusts her ideas and feelings. "I preferred to work alone. I don't know maybe I was…. Expecting for you to come back." The subject causes once more stress in the environment, which Elliot dislikes. But they know that sooner or later they must speak about that.  
"I started working with them slowly. And I have to accept that they surprised me ... They are dedicated and with the strength of youth." Elliot hears intrigued trying to figure out who she was speaking about using the plural. Despite he had pushed her away to enter the building and that she was in the apartment next to Nick, Elliot seemed to have ignored the young blonde until he explores in his memories. "Sometimes they remind me of us," she continued with an attempt to smile. Elliot makes a wry face feeling compare to the irritant young detective.

"Youth ... That's what worries me" He accepts referring to the inexperience they can have ... Do not trusting the safety of Liv to them… him. He knows that no one could take care of her back as he.  
"I trust him ... He has proven his ability more than once" Elliot shudders when he deduced the meaning of her words ... Olivia's life had been in danger more than once.  
"What if he wasn't competent?" He expresses annoyed with the idea, not helping to lighten the mood. Olivia feels angry with his ongoing attack on Nicolas. Though she had kept the line between business and personal really clear, she has to accept that she actually appreciated her partner. She believes that Elliot had no right to criticize Nicolas without even knowing him. Less when he had disappeared that way.

"Well Elliot, It's not like I had a choice! You disappeared in a heartbeat and… and we needed help! Even if it had been a really incompetent rookie! And yes! If it hadn't been Nick maybe I wouldn't be here!" Elliot does not like Liv defending him. But he knows he must return to calm so they could talk a little more.

"I'm sorry" He says looking down. He really feels it. Knowing he was guilty of all the times when she had been in danger.  
He went away leaving her unprotected, and even that he trusts his old teammates and her, he knew the dangers that job entails.  
Olivia returns to control her anger breathing slowly. "It wasn't easy" She lets him know in words what he already knew with no need of hearing.  
"I'm sorry" He repeats with a raspy voice.  
"were you planning on... planning on ever seeing me again?" She let out the question afraid to know the answer. Elliot keeps silent, not daring to see her. "No" she answers interpreting his silence.  
"I don't really know "He corrects her shaking his head.  
A slight bump from the door causes both to lift their faces. Olivia gets up from the couch and walk to the entrance to open the door.  
"Miss Olivia Benson?" asks the young man who is in the hallway.  
"Yes, ahm… you come from the ..."  
"Drug store, yeah. Excuse me for the delay I have many orders tonight" he apologizes rushing, trying not to throw his orders.  
"No problem. Let me get the money. Just, wait here." Olivia opens the door and disappears behind the wall of her room. Elliot quickly gets up to walk to the entrance.  
"Let me help you." He offers taking one of the plastic bags. "This is hers?" Elliot asks getting sure to have the right one.  
"Ahm ... yes and… her prescription is this and this" Elliot takes the folder that the young man delivers to him.  
"Got change for $ 50?" Olivia is heard walking back from her room.  
"Oh yeah ... I have" once again the young man juggles to find the change. Elliot walks away from the entrance, with the bag and recipe in hand, and returns to his place on the sofa. Olivia glanced him but does not say anything; she hastens to pay the young man "thanks. Good Luck!" She lets him go hopping he can continue with his other orders without much problem. She next walks to the kitchen counting the change. She keeps still watching Elliot reading the recipe surreptitiously with an expression of doubt. Perhaps he is deducing the reason of the pouch's content.  
AN: SO? WHAT'S WRONG WITH OUR LIV? WANT MORE? LET ME KNOW YOUR OPINIONS PLEASE!


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Thanks for reading! Please let a review for me to know what do you think about it… any ideas? There is a guest reader who I think really hates Olivia… well we'll see what happens later.

I'll try to update soon. I'm also working on "ETERNITY" as well so be patience please.

Disclaimer: law & order svu and its characters are not mine.

( s/8453288/1/ETERNITY )

CH9  
"I think your delivery is incomplete" Elliot says still reviewing the content noticing that in the recipe, which is written with an almost unreadable handwriting, is a drug that doesn't come in the pouch. Liv does not answer anything, she just walk up to him and takes her things out of his hands. She checks the content and later leaves it on the table behind the sofa.  
"It is fine." Elliot grins with doubt and decides to memorize the name of the medicine that had not been delivered.  
"I'm tired Elliot. Can we ..." She doesn't even dare to take a seat again.  
"I did wanted to see you again, Liv" He interrupts her answering her previous question.  
"El" She tries to stop him.  
"I did not know when or how, but I wanted to see you again." He dares to look up to see her eyes. "I was afraid you didn't want to see me." She doesn't answer the question hidden in his words. Of course she wanted to see him despite the damage he had caused her, but she wasn't going to materialize that into words. She turns around, takes her things off of the coffee table and walks to her room leaving Elliot alone and in silence without an answer.  
In the safety of her bedroom Olivia cleans her eyes with a wet washcloth shedding tears that were about to break out of her eyes. She gets to her closet and pulls her pajama pants and an old big NYPD shirt, the first she had at work.  
Outside Elliot doesn't know what to do. Should he expect her to come out again?, Should he take that as a 'get out' and go without saying more? ... He decides to wait a bit to see what happens. While he waits he tries to figure out what the medicines are for. He can recognize a couple of vitamins because Kathy had taken them during pregnancy such as the folic acid. But what fueled his curiosity was that one which had not been delivered.  
"Ell?" Her soft voice catches his attention. He gets up and walks to the white door looking for her cautiously. He finds her sitting on her bed tying her hair in a ponytail, and then he notices that she has changed her hair cut. A front fringe slightly hides her face and the couple of strands that escapes from the bondage frame her face.  
He stays motionless in the doorframe just waiting.  
"Come in" she says settling into the headboard. Elliot doubts a bit but takes a few steps inside. He can't help to carefully inspect the room. He gets to notice a couple of books on a table, a not too big mirror in the boudoir where he finds a couple of lipsticks and brushes. Shades of soft blue kept the room dark and warm and there is a scent that called his attention ... her perfume… her scent. There was not doubt; this was Olivia Benson's bedroom. He would guess even without her been there in front of him.  
"When is Maureen's big day?" She breaks the silence with a lighter question.  
"Spring ... March 21"  
"Just few months away" She says mentally counting the months.  
"The girls said that months are just a blink talking about weddings. The are all crazy saying they don't have time" He smiles, remembering the exaggerate reaction of his daughters when he dares to said that there was still plenty of time.  
"Surely they know more than you and me."  
"Probably yes." He silently laughs with her. "Liv, you want to sleep? You want me to leave?" He asks wishing her answer is no. But knowing that maybe he deserves a yes.  
"Yeah can use some sleep, but… I do not want you to go" She accepts with downcast eyes. She is afraid that if he leaves she won't see him again, or at least not soon, and she really doesn't want to risk losing him again.  
"You need to rest. You don't really look good."  
"No!" Olivia complains fearing that he decides to leave. "Elliot I do NOT want you to go" she says without fear of ridicule.  
"Olivia, I promise to come back tomorrow" an angry expression is drawn on her face as she shakes her head a little childish maybe.  
"Tomorrow I have to go to work" Elliot doesn't like the idea of she going back to work. Shouldn't she ask for medical leave for pregnancy? Of course, knowing Olivia, she won't accept that until it is really necessary. In his depths he knows that the real thing that bothers him is the fact that she will return to work back with the irritating rookie detective.  
"More in my favor, you must rest" Liv dedicates him a withering look letting him see her disagreement.  
"Then we will never fix this" she mutters annoyed.  
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay all night if necessary, but I want you to rest." Suddenly it feels like he was dealing with a wayward child instead of Olivia, not that he minds.  
And actually he doesn't want to go anywhere until he recovers the defrauded confidence of his friend. He cautiously undo the bed and gets her under the covers but she refuses to lie down and keeps seeing him clearly while sitting letting the talk continue fluently as before. Elliot tries not to touch deeper issues. He decides to take it slow to catch up. He focuses on small details that help him to measure her mood. He is surprised to be able to read her as easily as before, as if time had not passed. She tells a couple of stories of work trying to avoid mentioning Nick knowing that that will disturb Elliot again. They talk until Olivia's eyes begin to close themselves even though she fought to stay awake.  
"Can I use your bathroom?" Elliot asks with every intention of leaving her alone for a few minutes so she could get some sleep.  
"Sure. Go ahead." she replied before letting out a big yawn. Elliot gets up from his place on the edge of the bed and moved cautiously into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Olivia unwittingly drops her head on the soft pillow processing information and unexpectedly she suddenly is asleep.  
Elliot takes his time washing his hands and observes the mirror. He can't help but smile at his reflection, he is not much better than her, dark circles have been appeared under his tired eyes and his chin is decorated with short facial hair that he has let grow during the holiday week. He examines his face for a few seconds before drying his hands with the small towel and dare to open the door again. He peeks cautiously looking around for Olivia. He lets the corners of his mouth lifted slightly when he hears the soft breathing ensuring him she had already fallen asleep.

Elliot walks silently to leave the room but a slight whisper stops him. He wonders if he has waken her and turned around, but she is still in the same place with her eyes closed and her breathing has not changed. Curiosity makes him go back to bed and watches silently. He can't remember when was the last time he saw her sleep. The times he had been allowed to observe her sleep for more than two minutes are counted but he remembers them all very well.  
Olivia moves a little settling in bed and wets her lips before returning to stay still. "Mesmm" Elliot's eyes widened noticing that she babbles never has notice that detail before in her. Was she dreaming? What was she dreaming about? He never thought on asking something so simple to her. He ensures a note on his mental list to do it later. He covers her once more before leaving the room. He doubts between leaving or staying on the couch, but he will not leave her alone with the door unlocked and apart… he promised her he would stay all night if necessary so he doesn't think it more. He gets sure to close the main entrance's chains perfectly well. He takes a blanket out from the entry cabinet and lies on the couch. The same couch he has many times slept before. He takes off his shoes and settles down to have some rest.

AN: I'll update soon. Review please! It just take a minute! : )


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Sorry for the delay! PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE REVIEWS! I RE-UPDATED CH 9 CAUSE I FOUND A LOT OF MISTAKES... THOUGH IT IS NOT BETA YET.

Disclaimer: Law and Order SVU and its characters are not mine.

CH10  
The next morning Olivia's phone ringing wakes her. She slides in the bed trying to get out from under the covers.  
"wait ... wait" she says in a sleepy voice. She stretches her arm to reach the insistent vibrating iphone which is at the night table. She doesn't even bother to see the screen she simply answered it.  
"Benson"  
"Hey Olivia ... Am I interrupting?" Amaro's voice is heard across line.  
"Ahm… only a really boring dream " She says trying to joke.  
"Oh I'm sorry. But the case is complicated and we really could use a hand" Olivia immediately notice the bad mood in the voice of her young partner but she just think it's because of the case.  
"Okay. I'll take a shower and go straight to the station" She answers sitting on the bed, trying to wake up a little more.  
"Take breakfast first," he says showing his concern.  
"Yes. I'll be there soon." She ends the call and drops the phone on the table. She stretches her arm as much as she can letting out a huge yawn. Reality begins to invade her as she takes her hand straight to her flat stomach letting a smile lit her face. A couple of seconds later she recalls last night and her eyes begin to move from side to side looking for Elliot. A strange feeling of sadness and fear attacks her at the moment she realizes he wasn't there.

Liv moves shedding the blankets and even rises still sleepy. She searches in her closet for a pair of dress pants and a nice sweater. She takes her underwear ad towel despairing into the bathroom to take a quick shower.  
Outside the bedroom Elliot is still lying on the couch staring at the ceiling with a look of annoyance. The department's phone had awakened him with its insistent ringing. He allowed himself to answer s it didn't wake Olivia but no one answered and after one second the call was cut. He could guess from where the call was from or rather who was calling. The precinct and therefore… Nicolas. Minutes later he had heard the phone ringing in Olivia's bedroom and he had wished that he could interfere with that call as well but he couldn't.

Now he can hear the running water and knows that Olivia is getting ready to leave. This really bothers him. He gets up and walks to the kitchen to sneak in the refrigerator and is surprised to find it full of food, something quite odd if we are talking about Olivia's kitchen. He immediately wonders what other things have changed with his former partner while his absence.

Elliot decides to take a couple of eggs and a liter of milk that is at hand. He took some seconds inspecting the place looking for artifacts he needs.

Olivia gets out of the shower and dresses quickly. She manages to dries her hair as she can with the towel and picks it up in a ponytail made much better than the one she made the previous night. She puts on her boots and brushes her short bang in front o f the mirror. Then she put some mascara on her eyelashes. Her stomach growls and that's when she notices the delicious aroma coming from her kitchen. Olivia sees her reflection and sees her eyes widen in surprise and a smile spreading on her face. She hurries to leave the room and walks into the kitchen where she sees Elliot who is concentrated in the pan. Olivia's heart starts beating fast in signal of happiness.  
"I thought you were gone," She says taking his attention. Elliot gets surprised to see her and stares at her a couple of second. She looks much better than the day before, a little less tired and with a very unique twinkle in her eyes in addition to the pretty smile that seems to never disappear from her face.  
"I promised to stay all night," Elliot explains turning his attention back to the food. She takes a few steps attracted by the scent and, standing on her tiptoes, she looks over his shoulder to see a couple of perfect fried eggs.  
"That looks delicious" She says feeling her mouth fills with saliva.  
"Please sit down. It will be ready in a second" Elliot asks her politely. Liv, strangely, does not protest. She just do what he commanded and sits on one of the high stools. "I have to get back to work." she tries to explain "but you can stay here?" That came out more as a question than a statement. She bites her lower lip hoping he accepts.  
"I have to go home and I have a class today. I'll have Elli this weekend so I have to clean his bedroom."Elliot immediately can see the disappointment on her face "It can take you more than a day to home back home anyway. But why don't you call me as soon as you are free?"  
"Will you answer?" She asks looking down hiding the pain that her eyes reflect remembering the thousands of rejected calls. Ell placed the dish in front of her and lets his hand snakes to take Olivia's "I'm sorry," he says from the bottom of his heart "Olivia, I know I defrauded your confidence and you do not know how sorry I am. But I ask you to please let me amend my mistake and let me regain that trust." His eyes fill with tears struggling to hold in place. Liv nods and squeezes his hand tightly giving the answer he needed with just a glance.

Olivia enters the station to find Odafin concentrate on file.  
"Ey! I'm here." Fin looks up surprised to see her. He immediately notices the difference in Olivia. The questions come together in his head but he wisely decides not to formulate them yet.  
"Liv hello, how are you feeling?" HE asks politely smiling at her.  
"Quite well! How are you going?" She immediately wants to catch up with everything, the sooner she starts the faster she finishes… the faster she can see Elliot again.

AT: I HOPE I CAN UPDATE SOON! PLEASE REVIEW!


	11. Chapter 11

AN: THIS ONE IS REALLY SHORT! SORRY! PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE REVIEWS!

Disclaimer: Law and Order SVU and its characters are not mine.

CH11  
"Nicolas is interviewing the suspect." Fin points to the interrogation room. "Amanda and John are in search of the victim"  
"We have more evidence?" Olivia asks.  
"We are waiting for the lab results. Should not take long" she studies a few seconds the case understanding the details.  
"Cried for a lawyer" Nicolas's voice makes her turn. He is walking out the hall with a troubled expression, that changes when he senses Olivia's presence.  
"What else can we do?" she asks hoping to give them some help.  
"Olivia, is great to have you here." The captain says getting out of his office. "How do you feel?" he asks really worried.  
"Better than yesterday. Thank you."  
"I'm glad. Nicholas, Fin, Casey has achieved the warrant we needed. I want you in that house before his counsel takes him."  
"Yes Captain." Olivia waits to Donald to give her any order but he doesn't.  
"Come with us." Nicolas says taking her by the arm out of the office. He makes a strange signal to Fin who seems to understand it and gets back to his desk.  
"I'll reach you there." He shouts away from them. Olivia turns to face Amaro certainly knowing he is plotting something. They enter the elevator which, luckily for Nic, was already in their flat  
"How did you sleep?" Nick asks trying to break the ice. She doesn't take her look away from the elevator's door starting to feel angry

"Fine" She replied rudely.  
"Ahm ... How ... How did it go with ..."Nicolas continues.  
"Fine" She interrupts him waiting to arrive soon to the first floor, but the elevator stops frequently making more stops and receiving more people. They keep silence then.  
They reach the street without saying a word. Nicolas takes the keys from his pocket and starts playing with them throwing them in the air to take them back to the fall. Olivia rushes and traps them halfway on the air.  
"Hey! That ..?"  
"I drive Amaro" she says opening the car and taking the place of the driver. Nicolas just lets out a breath but smiles at his partner's energy and get in the passenger side. Liv starts the engine doing it roars. "and where are we going?" She feels shame for demanding to be the one to drive without knowing the destination.  
"Hahaha ... to Chinatown" He replies in the middle of a laugh that makes him worthy of a glare. The silence in the car makes presence getting the environment heavier and the traffic does not help much.  
"Ahm ... And tell me, how he takes the news?" Nicolas asks hoping to get a little more information. So far all he knew was that Elliot had spent the whole night with her and in that case it makes logical that at some point she had told him. So, based on that logic he decides to ask that question.  
"Well. Actually he took it very well! He is happy for me!" She answers emphasizing her words. Nic looks up for the joy in her answer. Olivia remains concentrated on the road moving through the streets which she knows perfectly trying to avoid traffic.  
"You didn't tell him, did you?" Nicolas guesses trying to hide his anger.  
"No" She answers making maneuvers to park the car two houses far of the exact address.  
"Olivia, you should thin…"  
"Nicolas, I will not talk about it, much less with you. I've already made my decision." She says getting out of the car and shooting the door heavily. She walks straight to Casey who was waiting at the entrance with the search warrant.  
"Liv, I thought you weren't working this case. " Casey greets surprised.  
"No, I wasn't" Liv answered reluctantly.  
"Hey what's up? Are you feeling bad?" Casey doubtfully asks noticing that physically Olivia does not look as bad as other days. Casey knew what was happening but had maintained a reasonable distance for fear of the emotional pain.  
"No" She answers letting out a sigh "Case I'm sorry it's just ... you know…Ahm"  
"I guess," she says sparing Olivia a long explanation. Soon Amaro is already with them and a couple of agents too.  
"Ok! knocked down the door and hopefully we will find these videos" All of them start searching and find easier than expected the evidence.  
"This case was pretty easy. With this and the testimony of the victim… he will sink in jail for life." Casey says proud to have it easy this time. And she disappears climbing into her car to go straight to the station.  
"Easy case?" Liv asks turning to face Nicolas furiously. He looks away head down "agh! I can't believe you!"  
"I thought we would need you." The young detective says trying to excuse.  
"For what? Doing your paperwork?"  
"Ahm ..." Olivia then understand the real reason for his call. All he wanted was to know if Elliot's visit would have gotten her decision change. She gets into the car furious, leaving her partner on the sidewalk watching him disappear through the mirror.  
"How the hell I'm getting back, Olivia?!" He shouts reaction surprised of her reaction. But she did not even slow down.  
Returning to the station Olivia rushes up the elevator to deliver the car keys. In the office is already Munch talking to Casey about to enter the interrogation room.  
"Hey Liv" Amanda greets when Olivia entered but she ignores her walking straight to her desktop. Fin notices her moodiness and approaches her cautiously.  
"You know you forgot about me right?" He complains in a joking tone. She turns to face him angrily.  
"Thanks for plotting against me, friend". She says before taking her jacket and leaves the unit furiously.  
"What happened?" Amanda questions without understanding much what happened. Fin only shrugs unwilling to explain much.

AT: I HOPE I CAN UPDATE SOON! PLEASE REVIEW!


	12. Chapter 12

AN: I PROMISED TO UPDATE! AND I WISH I CAN UPDATE AGAIN SOON! REVIEWS ENCOURAGES ME!

DISCLAIMER: LAW AND ORDER SVY AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE!

CH12  
"Just one more minute, kids!" Elliot shouts in the middle of the big gym.  
"No, no!" The little ones answer don't wanting to stop playing basketball.  
"More time coach!" A small girl asks seeing Elliot with pleading eyes.  
"Haha, Samantha we can't. You have Spanish class"  
"I do not like that lesson!" she complains getting out of the game and sitting upset in the stands.  
"Me either," Elliot mutters quietly hoping the little girl doesn't listen. He remembers how much he disliked Spanish lessons as a child. He takes a deep breath and blows his whistle letting it sounds hard.  
"Noo noo!" everybody complain stopping the game.  
"Let's go! See you next week!" Elliot takes ball and asked the kids to take their are all ready just when the bell rings announcing the class change.

Ell handles them out calm and says goodbye to them. He lifts all the balls that are scattered through the gym and puts them in the cellar. He hasn't stopped thinking all day about Olivia. He wishes that the case won't take a long time. He really wants to see her soon. His telephone starts to vibrate and he rushes to answer it fearing that if he doesn't do it quick the mailbox will answered.  
"Hello?"  
"Elliot, hello" his smile fades to hear Kathy's voice across the line.  
"Oh hello Kath. Is everything okay?"  
"Yeah, just calling to make sure you have not forgotten that you have to go and pick Elli"  
"I haven't forgotten." He answers reluctantly.  
"Sorry Elliot but, you know, the last time you forgot and he was left alone and crying"  
"I know Katherine. I won't forget it again"  
"Okay. Have fun. I'll pick him up on Monday morning."  
"Yeah."  
"Elliot and please do not use the motorcycle with him." She asks worried remembering the huge motorcycle that her ex-husband had decided to purchase shortly after the divorce. She really hated that thing.

"Kath don't worry I will use the car" He assures her.  
"Okay, see you then, bye." She hangs not very satisfied.  
Elliot let out a frustration sigh watching the phone screen. It is not long before Elli's exit hour so he decided to hurry. He goes into the locker room and takes a quick shower to get rid of the sportswear and puts on his jeans, his shirt and a leather jacket.

Elliot walks towards the school's main exit constantly checking his phone waiting for Olivia's call without much success. He wonders whether if he will be lucky enough to see her the same day or if he will have to wait too long to be with her.  
"Elliot, Are you leaving?" the female voice makes him stop half a step from his motorcycle. He turns to encounter a young redhead woman who watches from a car.  
"Tania, hello. Yeah, I have to get my son," Elliot answers politely.  
"Oh sure. And I wanted to invite you to take lunch with me"  
"Maybe another day" He answers without actually taking seriously his words.

He met Tania since the first day he entered the school, a young woman of no more than 35 years. Tania is the music teacher. And even though she was nice he had never agreed to have more that a professional relationship with her. In fact with anyone, at most with children who had gain a lot of his love from the beginning. He is used to go to the school give his classes and go at correct time. He barely talks to his colleagues and only the days he has to stay during lunchtime waiting his last hour.  
"Well, have a nice weekend." she says goodbye with a smile.

Elliot drives nimbly to his house where he changes the motorcycle for a little old red Chevy he had, which he really only used when he saw little Elli. For daily use he prefers the Harley, it saved him gas and time dodging the cars stuck in traffic jams in the city. Aside that he had wanted to buy one since some time ago, which he hadn't been able to do cause he had a family to support. But now that most of his children had grown and began with independent lives he could finally afford this little luxury.

He gets in the car making sure he has installed the child seat in the back. He checks his phone once more before driving to his child's school.  
"Hello Mr. Stabler" The teacher at the kindergarten entry greets him.  
"Hello" He replies cordial.  
"Elliot Stabler Jr. Elliot Stabler Jr. " She calls through the microphone . "He'll be here. Oh, Children have a cultural outing next Friday we need you to send the permission slip" she lets Elliot know. Perhaps knowing he would have to come to terms with his ex-wife.  
"Sure. Where are they going?"  
"Natural History Museum"  
"Daddy!" both adults turn around to see the little boy with a big smile on his face running with difficulty, by carrying his backpack, towards them.  
"Hey buddy!" Elliot greets extending his arms and bending over to get a hug from his child.  
"I'm going with my daddy Miss Agatha!" The happy kid says while his father takes his backpack and grabs his hand to walk to the car parked nearby.  
"Ok honey! I'll see you on Monday!"  
"Yep! Goodbye!"  
"Thanks. Have a good weekend" Elliot says goodbye politely. Elli stops at the edge of the sidewalk and turns on both sides making sure there are no cars coming and then he cross the road still holding his father's hand. Elliot sees him and smiles proudly.  
"Climb up." Elliot opens the back door and gives his son a boost to help him get on the little seat."Put on the seatbelt"

" I can do it by myself!" The kid complains taking Elliot's hands away to try and do it alone successfully.  
"Good job little man!" Elliot celebrates his achievement and ensures to close the door with child lock. He climbs into the driver's seat and before he starts driving again he checks his phone and ... Nothing.  
"We draw today. My teacher likes my drawing. When we get home you want to see it?"  
"Sure buddy"  
"Can we watch a movie? How about "the avengators !?"  
"Avengers" Elliot corrects him understanding what he meant.  
"yeah! that one! And can I make popcorn? and choco?" Elliot smiles at his child's happiness. He looks through the rearview mirror to notice his rosy cheeks. He opens the back window a little and the kid smiles feeling his blond curls moving from side to side in the wind.  
Elliot thanks that there is not much traffic that day and takes the opportunity to go through the long way passing in front of the station. He tries to search for the old sedan he thinks they still use. He finds it parked in front of the station, so he supposed that indeed the case is going to take all day to Olivia.  
"You worked here right daddy? " Elli asks watching the old huge building through the window.

"Yes."  
"Can we go in?" The little boy asks without taking his eyes off few uniformed polices.  
"Someday I'll take you ok." Elliot answers without really wanting to promise something that he isn't sure he could do.  
"You always say that." The boy complains viewing the station disappearing. Elliot doesn't feel right making his child feel bad but he can't do much.

It doesn't take them long to get to their house where they park in front of the entrance. Elliot gets out of the car taking Elli's backpack somehow distracted with his phone. The small boy jumps out the car and walks through the house's grass waiting for his dad, but suddenly he stops with eyes wide opened in surprise.  
"Oliviaaa!"

AN: HOPE YOU LIKED IT! AND IF YOU DID… PLEASE REVIEW!


	13. Chapter 13

AN: PERSONALY I LIKE THIS CHAPTER. I'M WORKING HARD TO TRANSLATE IT TO ENGLISH SO BE PATIENT WITH ALL THE ERRORS YOU FIND PLEASE!... I CAN USE A BETA :) ANYONE?  
THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!

DISCLAIMER: L&O: SVU AND ITS CHARACHTERS ARE NOT MINE... JUST THE STORY.

CH13  
"Oliviaaa!"The boy shouts to find her sitting on the porch steps. Elliot takes his look away from the phone and turns to see little Elli running excited to her. Olivia reaches out and receives the child on her arms with joy.  
"Look at you! You are huge!" Liv tells feeling the warm embrace of his small arms against her torso.  
"I'm not a baby anymore. Now I'm in preschool!" The young boy announces proudly without separating of the embrace. Elliot can't help but smile watching his son so cheerful. Despite all the time passed, Elli kept asking for Olivia every time he saw his father. The boy had never forgotten about Olivia, no matter he hadn't spent much time with her. There was a strange connection between them.  
"Wow! Congratulations Tiger!" The boy's face shows a surprised expression before turning around looking for his father.  
"Look who's here, daddy! Look!" he announced excitedly.  
"I saw, Elli." Elliot answers whilst approaching them. Olivia turns to see Elliot dedicating him a smile "you didn't call."  
"I left my phone at the station and honestly I don't want to go back there." Liv stands up to be almost at level with his friend's eyes. Elli takes her hand and turns upward slope of the adult's conversation waiting patiently to invite her to go into the house, in case his dad doesn't do it.

"You ended the case soon eh?" She rolls her eyes and sighs trying to suppress her anger. "Not?" Elliot asks concerned she has to leave again.  
"Yes, we finished. Lets say it was an easy case after all" He immediately notice that something dislikes her but he decided not to ask.  
"You want to come in?"  
"Finally" The small boy whispers happy that his father invites her in. Both adults smile.  
"Sure" She answers.  
"Come I guide you, Livie." The little one takes her hand tight and begins to climb up the front steps. Olivia smiles at the pronunciation of the diminutive of her name.  
"We will watch a movie and do popcorn and choco." Elli explains trying to open the door without much success. He releases from Olivia's hand try using both hands pushing weakly without much success. He turns anxious to see his father and walks to him. "Keys Please" Elli asks extending his little hand.  
"I'll open, Elli" Elliot replied swiftly moving up front to open the door. "Osh" The little boy makes an expression of disgust and devotes an annoyed look at his father.  
"Elli you've tried a million times and you've never open it" Ellior tries to explain earning an exaggerated grimace.  
"Come in" Elliot asks Olivia who is enjoying watching the funny scene. Elli comes forward to give his guest a tour through the house though Olivia already knew almost all of it.

"Go change the uniform" Elliot asks him once the tour is finish. The child does as ordered and disappears upstairs.  
"He is huge and so cute, Ell!" Olivia expresses.  
"He is growing very fast."  
"He looks more like you" she says smiling.  
"I'm not sure how good is that"  
"I think it's very good." Elliot smiles thanking her words. He makes a signal to her to go into the room and sit on the couch. Olivia understands and fits in one of the couches leaving enough room for him to sit beside her. Both are silent listening to the little and light steps of Elli in the upper level running back and forth.  
"He is very happy to see you," Ell says while watching Olivia's smile. He still feels lucky to be able to see her smile so often. He can ascribe this to the news she has gotten a month ago. He knows perfectly how much Liv has wanted to be a mother and now he is immensely glad that she finally could be one. Although (if he is honest) he can't even imagine a pregnant Olivia. It was hard to imagine her with a huge belly and a hormonal disorder after seeing her always with an athletic body and an amazing self-control. Well he will have to wait to see that new Liv. And he really wants to be present throughout all the process.  
"I'm glad to see him too. I thought I would never see him again ... or you" Olivia looks down letting out a deep breath remembering each of the times she had struggled not to imagine a reunion and had convinced herself that that would not happen.  
Elliot reaches her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze assuring her his presence.  
"Sorry" he whispers again approaching her face. "I'm really sorry."  
She further shortens the distance placing her forehead against his. Elliot takes this as the acceptance of his proximity, she isn't rejecting him. Somehow the wall that has always existed between them collapsed. Maybe the time apart had managed to weaken it.  
"It's not your fault. That was gonna happen sometime." her sweet breath hits his face and their eyes connect for a few seconds. Elliot raises his hand dropping hers to take the strands of hair that were released of her ponytail.  
"I missed you" Liv said in an almost inaudible whisper before their lips barely brushed.  
"Dad I can't find the movie!" both separates immediately to see the boy appears at the entrance arch. "And I looked for it and it is nowhere!" He complains approaching the adults. "Where did you put it?" his eyes were watching seriously to his father with an expression of doubt and discomfort.  
"Elli it should be on the movie shelf"  
"Where?" The little man demands to know.  
"Up on the shelf." Elliot says standing up.  
"I can't reach that high yet Daddy, help me!" Elli pulls his dad's arm insistent. Liv just smiles at the sight. She enjoys watching Elliot at his role as father and it distracts her of what was about to happen.  
"I'm coming. I told you to change your clothes"  
"First gimmie the movie!"  
"As stubborn as his father eh?" Liv says trying not to laugh.  
"Told you. Do not know if it's good for him to be like me" Liv lets out a laugh watching them disappear behind the wall and hearing their footsteps climbing the stairs.  
She feels uncomfortable staying alone in a strange silence. She doesn't want to think on what had just happened or rather in anything at all. And the sudden nausea doesn't help much.  
"Agh!" She complains standing up and rushing to the bathroom.

"Here you have" Elliot tells the little man handing him the film.  
"Thank you!" Elli looks the movie portrait entertained with the image.  
"Go change" Elliot reminds him pointing to the boy's room.  
"Okay." He returns the video to his father "put it on the big TV" Elli asks his father entering into his room "what should I wear?"  
"Do not delay" Elliot asks going downstairs.  
"Nope. Ah I know!" the boy runs excitedly to his closet in search of his outfit.  
Elliot returns to the waiting room where he has left Liv but to his surprise she is not there.  
"Olivia?"He keeps silence until listening her in the bathroom. He rushes to see her lying on the floor around the toilet. "Oh no!" He comes over and helps her once again taking her forehead but she wriggles pushing him away.  
"I'm fine" she says separating from the toilet and shooting it to avoid seeing inside. "There goes my breakfast" She complains remembering how much they really had enjoyed the breakfast prepared by him.  
"Breath. I'll bring you water." He says giving her some paper. Olivia doesn't answer. She simply takes a deep breath trying to control her body. As Elliot leaves the bathroom she makes sure to close the door and pull the chain to get rid of the evidence of her sickness. She takes her time cleaning her mouth in the sink getting rid of the terrible taste.  
"Liv ...It's everything all right?" Elliot asks knocking on the door gently.  
"Yeah. One second."  
"Livie are you okay?" the sweet voice of Elli question concerned.  
"Yes sweetheart." She hurries to open the door and find the little Superman with a worried look.  
"Are you a little sick?" He asks cocking his head.  
"Not exactly ..." Elliot seeks into her eyes asking for an answer to his son's question ... A real answer. She sighs and nods returning her gaze to the child. "I'm fine little superman."

AN: REVIEW PLEASE! SON YOU'LL HAVE SOME REAL ANSWERS AS WELL...


	14. Chapter 14

AN: I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. PLEASE REVIEW! I REALLY LOVE REVIEWS! THIS STORY IS GETTING DIFFICULT FOR ME TO WRITE... LETS SEE HOW IT WORKS. YOU ARE ALWAYS INVITED TO READ MY OTHER STORIES.

DICLAIMER: L&0:SVU AND ITS CHARACHTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH14  
Liv's sickness had passed soon and finally they find themselves on the largest couch of the room in front of the thin screen that is hanging on the wall, ready to see "The Avengers". Elli prepared popcorn with Olivia's help while Elliot was commissioned to prepare the chocolate milkshakes or 'chocos' as his son calls them.  
The little boy insisted on being the one who put on the movie while the adults settled into the large sofa.  
"Ready! You see? I can do it by myself." Elli says to his father excitedly. He turns off the main light and returns to the sofa between the two adult. Olivia gets rid of her shoes and lifts up her legs trying to stay warm. Elliot extends one of the covers making sure to cover the three of them. The popcorns disappeared not long after the movie had started and soon the chocos were gone too... except Olivia's one. She barely touched her milkshake and hadn't eat any popcorn trying to avoid the sickness.

"Why it always have to be in New York?" Elliot complains watching the city being destroyed on the television. Olivia smiles and shrugs not answering.  
"Ash! Daddy is only a movie." Elli says maturely getting up anxious. "Pause it!" Soon he disappears down the hall and his footsteps are heard climbing up stairs.  
"Where are you going?" His dad asks pausing the movie.  
"To the pipisroom!" The boy screams from upstairs.  
"Don't forget to put down the toilet seat when you finish! And you flush it! And wash your hands!" Elliot asks yelling loudly.  
"Yeeees Daaaad!" Olivia laughs at the scene and turns to see Elliot.  
"You're a great dad," she says softly.  
"Not so much ... I was gone a long time when the children were young. I want to enjoy Eli's childhood as much as possible." she nods understanding her former partner.  
"You gave them a good life, Elliot." She animates him.  
"Yes, I think I do ..." They remain silent listening to the water running and then the light steps of the little boy coming back.  
"The water is cold!" Elli complains lying down again in his place and dropping his head on Olivia's entwined legs. She caresses his hair receiving him with a smile.

The kid falls into a deep sleep before the movie came to an end.  
"What time is it?" Olivia asks turning to the window trying not to move too much to not wake up the kid slept on her legs.  
"Early" Elliot answered immediately without even seeing the clock. Don't wanting her to leave. "He was exhausted" explains why the child is asleep already.  
"Ahm... I guess so."  
"I promised to take him to the Bronx Zoo tomorrow. He'll need energy." Elliot gets up and gently takes his young son in his arms to carry him to bed. "Wait here." He asks Olivia before continuing his way to the stairs. She nods and snuggles on the sofa covering herself with the blanket  
"Not going anywhere Stabler" Ell smiles at the tone of camaraderie used by her and continued upstairs.

Elliot ensures to cover the child who complains between dreams but ends curled hugging a purple blanket and sleeps deeply. Elliot left on a small night flashlight, ensures that the window is closed and closes the door before getting back downstairs. Olivia continues in the same place attentive to the film's end.  
"You hadn't seen it?" Elliot asks noticing the expression of genuine intrigue in his ex-partner's face.  
"No" She answers without removing her eyes from the TV.  
Elliot decides to clean the place while the movie is finish.  
"ahm... Can I drink it?" Eliot asks referring to her milkshake trying not to distract her. Liv just nods and makes him a motion with her hand asking to withdraw from the front.  
Elliot smiles and does what she asks disappearing into the kitchen. He takes his time to drink the whole choco and then takes care of washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen attentive to the movie's audio guessing the scenes in his mind. He can't help but smile when he listen Olivia's expressions of surprise and soft giggles caused by the dialogues and the final scene of the movie.

He soon returns to her on the couch and entertains examining his friend's face. Back when they just had begun to work together, he spent time watching her cautiously trying to memorize and understand each of her expressions. He had learned to read her with ease and yet now he felt that he must return to study her. He fears that the time spent separated had erase the thirteen years of partnership. He is fascinated to find the familiar expressions without any difficulty and struggles to find some new ones.

"I really hope that the day the aliens decide to invade the city those Avengers really do appear." she said separating the look of the final credits.  
"The day that happens I'll protect you" Elliot responds smiling happy to receive her attention again.  
"Sure... They will annihilate both of us."She says earning a false discomfort gaze.  
"How do you feel?" Elliot asks really worried.  
"Much better" She moves in the coach stretching her upper extremities and letting out a big yawn. "I should go now."  
"No!" Elliot answered somewhat disturbed at the idea "Is still early." He tries to give a more logical fact rather than just let her know he just wants to be with her.  
"I know but ..."  
"Liv I DON'T want you to go." He says repeating the words she had said the night before, which can make them smile.  
"It's your weekend with Elli. We can meet other day." She doesn't want to take the time he can spend with his child.  
"Stay with us ... All the weekend" Their eyes meet again with the same electric energy that had always existed.  
"Ok." Olivia lets out a breath loudly. "I'll stay" she answers without looking down, without deflecting as she used to do. "I can get away from work a couple of days"  
"Thank you" Elliot involuntarily let his hand slide the soft cheek of her friend and gingerly removed the rebels hair falling down her face. Olivia looks down at his lips and remembers what happened hours before. She can feel her cheeks blushing.

The strange thing is that this time they don't get scared about their connection. Now they are curious, the same question had always been flying in their minds: the 'what ifs...' What if thoughts become into words? If feelings are turned into actions? If they dared to cross the thin and fragile line that existed between them?  
Her body freezes to feel his unexpected closeness and for the first time in months she feels awkward not knowing what to do. Elliot notices her reaction and separates again giving her a warm smile.  
"Are you sure you don't want to eat something?" He asks waiting to hear her voice.  
"Yeah. It's not a good idea to put in more food into my stomach."Olivia responds calmly, confident voice hiding her nervousness.  
"Good. Do you want to watch another movie?"  
"No. I'd rather ... ahm ... I just wanna be with you." The thoughts convert into words.  
The huge smile that draws on Elliot's face impresses her. Was he happy to share his time with her too?  
"That sounds perfect to me." Yes, he wants to be with her too.

AN: NEXT CHAPTER… WILL LIV EXPLAIN THINGS TO ELLIOT? PLEASE REVIEW FOR MORE!


	15. Chapter 15

AN: HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER! : ) I'M NOT SURE IF I'LL BE ABLE TO UPDATE ANOTHER CHAPTER BEFORE CHRISTMAS BUT I'LL TRY! TODAY IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE END OF THE WORLD ANYWAY! LOL!  
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!

THANKS FOR THE REVIES! I LOVE REVIEWS EVEN THE CRITICAL ONES AS LOONG AS THEY ARE KIND! PLEASE LET ME KNOW ALL YOUT OPINIONS!

DISCLAIMER: L&O: SVU AND ALL ITS CHARACHTERS ARE NOT MINE!

CH15

They let the last hours of the night scope them once more. Both of them try to hide the tiredness that attacks them enjoying each other's company. They talk of simple things not touching deeper topics fearing that if they do it the comfortable atmosphere they've created would be lost.

"So I let us without coffee for a whole week! But I swear it wasn't on purpose Ell! The coffeemaker committed suicide. It just jumped out of my hands!" Elliot continues to laugh imagining that scene of Liv breaking the only coffeemaker of the squadron. "I could swear that Munch was about to take out his gun and shoot me!"  
"I don't doubt he would!"  
"I bought us a new one as soon as I could. But since then they always bother me every time I get up for a cup of coffee. Well ... Not since I stopped drinking coffee. They can't do it anymore." She says bringing her hand unconsciously to her flat belly. Elliot stops laughing but his smile doesn't disappear.

"Of course." He thinks carefully as how to ask the question "And then? how did you decided to do it?" He asks pointing her abdomen.  
"Ahm ... Well I think I planned it a long time ago."She remembers the time her adoption application was rejected and how she had started saving since then to try that element of the modern medicine that had seemed so fascinating to her. "But I could do it until a couple of months. It's not cheap to do  
a baby ... Nor is it easy. "Elliot put full attention finding an expression of pain on his friend's face.  
"I can imagine." He doesn't have many words but his warm hand slides up to her shoulder reassuring her. She reaches his hand with her own and strokes it with her thumb. "And that Nicolas. Ahm...what is his problem with this? I didn't see him very happy" Elliot can't forget the young detective's expression and much less the look in Fin's eyes the day he went looking for him.  
"Arg ... Nicholas" Olivia says annoyed looking down and frowns remembering how annoying he had been that morning. "He should mind his own businesses." She complains with the full intention of not answering Elliot's real question.  
"What about Fin? Can he be worried?" Elliot tries again hoping not to take advantage of the territory he had won or rather recovered.  
"Ahm ... Let say it is... complicated." He can notice how her answers remain elusive. Her words recall him of old times so he decided to move forward with caution.  
"There's something wrong with your pregnancy?" He asks cautiously trying to sound smooth rather than aggressive.  
"No ... not exactly. ... I don't want to talk about that." With those words and a huge yawn the conversation comes to an end.

"I'll show you your room." Ell says standing up to help her up. "You'll like the girl's room." He shows her the way through the house without saying a word. They enter to a room purely decorated in shades of pink and purple. Olivia watches warily the few photos that rest on a long cabinet identifying Elliot's daughters and one where Richard goes along with them. She can notice that the room has not been used in what seems a long time and wonders if Elliot sees his daughters often.  
"Kathleen surely left some pajamas around here." Elliot frisks in the closet looking for something comfortable to Liv.

"I can sleep with my clothes." she assures him sitting doubtfully in one of the twin beds.  
"No. Take this. It will be better than your work clothes." He says giving her a set of blue pajamas decorated with little white sheep.  
"Cute." she says taking it in her hands and inspecting it with doubt.  
"You don't like sheep? Cause I have one with Monkeys too." He tells her taking another pajama.  
"No thanks. Sheep are ok, Ell." She answers him letting out a chuckle silently.  
"Good. Are you sure you don't want some dinner? Even a glass of milk?"  
"No thanks. I'm trying to avoid morning sickness. But thank you." Elliot closes the drawers and checks the bed making sure it has enough blankets. They share a look before Elliot leaves the room giving her some privacy to change her clothes.

Elliot would like to stay with her a little longer. Watch her sleep one more time. But he doesn't want to push the good luck that he has had so far. So he goes into his own room and puts on his pajamas' pants and an old t-shirt. He enters the bathroom and brushes his teeth while taking out one new tooth-brush stored in a small cabinet. He gets back out into the hallway with his tooth-brush still in his mouth and flick the door.  
"Come in." she replies in a moderating voice trying to avoid waking up the little boy sleeping in the next room.  
"thage thish. In gase llu need ithh" He explains her busy trying not to spill saliva or toothpaste. Olivia let out a silent smile and takes the brush in her hands.  
"Thank you" She normally would have complained for the gift. She knows nothing would happen if she didn't brush her teeth for a night, but right now the bad taste in her mouth was something she didn't like at all and a refreshing teeth brushing wouldn't be so bad. Ell hurried back into the hallway and into the bathroom (which used to be his daughters) to spill the toothpaste on the sink. He offers paste to Liv, who soon reached him unfolding her own toothbrush.

"The little sheep fits you." Elliot mocks her taking advantage that she is entertained with the care of her dental hygiene. Olivia observed him by the mirror's reflection giving him a look of annoyance.  
"Ups" Ell exclaims raising his hands in a defense way and getting out of the bathroom. He waits for her in the hall and walks her the three steps to her room's door.  
"Goodnight Liv" he says before she enters the room.  
"Good night" without thinking twice she turns to him kisses his cheek.  
"Ahm ... rest tomorrow will be a long day." Elliot says goodbye awkwardly walking to his own bedroom.  
It would be a long night for both of them.  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Daddy?" Elli's soft voice awakens Elliot while the little boy slowly shakes his dad's arm weakly "hey daddy?"  
"Mmmm?" He finally gets a convincing answer.  
"Is that ... It's morning already." Elliot knows that, in fact, it's morning already. And he knows perfectly well what his child wants but he keeps lying with his closed eyes.  
"Are you sure that it's already morning?" Elliot asks him with his sleepy voice.  
"Ahm? ..." the little boy steps down from the big bed and runs to the window. He is naive to get under the great curtain and looks out the window trying to confirm it actually was morning.  
"Yes daddy. The sun has awoke." He explains returning to the bed where Elliot is now sit watching his young boy. "If you do not believe me go and see." he says pointing to the window.

"I believe you. How did you sleep buddy?" Elliot lifts the little boy from the floor to sit him at his side.  
"Good" Elliot gets curious at the strange tone on his son's answer.  
"You had a nightmare?" He asks trying to guess what is bothering the little man. Elli shakes his head letting his tousled curls move from side to side.  
"No. Is just ..." he sighs and turns in search of his father's eyes, who waits calmly "yesterday I...  
I felt sleep and I did not say goodbye to Liv."His sweet voice cracks a little. Elliot smiles at the memory of that, in fact, he hadn't had to say goodbye to Olivia.  
"Oh, that is it?" the small boy nods his head grimacing sadness. "Well why don't you go to your sister's room and give her a good morning?" Elli remains doubtful for few seconds trying to think on his father's words. His huge eyes widened as he understands their meaning.

"Is she there?" Elli asks whispering the questions trying not to make noise.  
"Yep" Elliot answers. The kid doesn't think it twice and jumps out of bed excited running out of the room. Elliot immediately regrets the idea thinking that maybe Olivia was still sleeping. He is not sure if she would be pleased to be assaulted by surprise by the small child. So he just waits hopping he hadn't make a mistake and remains silent so he can listen her reaction. But nothing is heard... anything until Elli reappears on the room with an annoyed expression.  
"Lawyer! Lawyer! You are a liar!." he shouts with a fill with tears glare.

AN: REVIEW PLEASE PLEASE!


	16. Chapter 16

AN: LOOOOVE YOU GUYS! LOVE YOUR REVIEWS! THIS CHAPTER IS SMALLER THAN OTHERS... BUT IT KEEPS IT INTERESTING THOUGH. PLESE LET ME KNOW WHAT D YOU THINK!  
MEANWHILE I HADN'T WRITE MUCH MORE FOR 'ETERNITY' MY INSPIRATION IS HIDE SOMEWHERE DWN MY BED ILL LOOK FOR IT...

DESCLAIMER: L&O: SVU AND IT'S CHARACHTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH16  
An expression of surprise and doubt filled Elliot's face, which quickly gets up and walks towards the corridor.  
"Why do you lie to me?" A complaining Elli continuously follows his father trying hard to suppress her tears.  
" I wasn't laying Elli" The adult tries to explain the little boy peeking into his daughter's bedroom hoping to find Olivia. "She stayed over here." Elliot says more to himself than to the kid.  
"Then she disappeared!" The anger of Elli is evident in his tone voice. If the young boy had inherited something from his father it was the strong and complicated behavior that characterized Elliot Stabler.  
"People don't disappear, Elli!" Elliot returns to the hallway and turned to see his son already thinking on the right words to calm his child down. For his surprise he finds Olivia getting out of the bathroom trying t be silent, so that Elli can't notice her.  
"lawyer lawyer you are a liar." the small kid babbles giving his father a glare. Elliot makes an expression to Liv who understood immediately and silently approaches the angry child's back.  
"I will no longer love you hum?" He continues complaining without taking his eyes off his father. "Lies are bad. Hum?"  
"Good morning Elli!" Olivia yells grasping and lifting the kid into the air.  
"Aaaah!" Elli shouts pretty scared until he understands who it was. "Liiiiv!" She leaves him back on the floor and immediately the little kid turns and hugs her legs tightly.  
"Good morning!" Elli shouts excited letting out a few tears."I thought you were disappeared!" Liv bends down to hug the child.  
"Disappeared? But here I am Elli." Elliot smiles seeing the happiness of his child and he must also accept that he is as happy as the boy to have Olivia there.  
"I told you I wasn't lying." Elliot tells his son, who turns with an expression full of regret.  
"Dad... forgive me?" The kid asks raising his head to see his father's eyes. Elliot gives him a warm smile and tousled his hair with his hand.  
"Don't worry kiddo!" Elli lets out a sigh of relief and turns his attention to Olivia.  
"This is my sister's pajamas" he says pointing to the sheep in the fabric.  
"Yeah, your daddy lends it to me."  
"Well you look pretty" Elli tells her smiling as his cheeks turn pink.  
"Very pretty" Elliot assures her watching to her eyes. She laughs remembering how disheveled and pale she had seen herself in the reflection of the bathroom's mirror after suffering her morning sickness, just a minute ago.  
"Thanks but... lawyers lawyers you are layers!" She yells happily making them laugh. The three laughs filling the whole house.

"Look look! There are the little monkeys, daddy!" Elli shouts excited pointing to the animals playing in their cages. "Liv! You see them?"  
"Yes Elli! Let's see how do the little monkeys do?"  
"Like this look! Uuuiiiuuuiiiu" Elli shows her taking little jumps moving from side to side scratching his head to imitate the monkey. This makes the laughs start again and not only those of Liv and Ell but also the other people visiting the zoo that day that had witnessed the child's act funny.  
Halfway the small boy had asked his father to rise him into his shoulders saying he was 'totally exhausted'. Olivia was amused to hear the young kid talking to such property. Of course Elliot accepted taking his sun on his shoulders the rest of the way knowing that the next day his back would complain.  
"Can we eat something now?" Liv says bringing her hand to her belly as a sign of hunger.  
"Yes, It will not be long." Elliot says hoping to be right because in truth he is not very familiar with the zoo. Luckily soon they can appreciate the fast-food area and rush to decide what to eat.  
"McDonald's!" Elli points excited moving on his father's shoulders wanting to be place on the floor again. Elliot puts the kid down but doesn't lose his hand preventing runs out.  
"Is that ok?" Elliot asks Olivia making his son wait.  
"Ahm ... McDonald's is ok" She let him know really grateful to have appetite instead of sickness.  
Although Olivia insisted constantly Elliot won't allow her pay for the food.  
Elli entertained them with a monologue of ideas about his favorite animals and telling a few stories he lived with his father which he remembered to perfection making them laugh as ever.  
The sunset soon reached the city so they decided to go back home. Once in the car Elli soon fell asleep exhausted, it had been a long and tiring day.  
"Can we go to my apartment?" Liv asks while playing with the hem of her blouse. Elliot observes her certainly disappointed with the request.  
"You said you'd stay the whole weekend ... With us" he remembers her ensuring to speak in plural.  
"Yes and I will. But, Ell, I need to change my clothes." She explains him staring at the ketchup stain on the fabric of her blouse.  
"Oh ... Sure. We can pass by and get your stuff." He agrees but doesn't plan to let her retract her promise. He wants her to spend the weekend with him... them. Without problems they reach Olivia's apartment, looking for a space to park close to the door of the building.  
"I will not take long." Olivia says getting off the car, with a hint of joy in her voice which assured him that she would comply with the agreement.  
"The little sleeper and I will wait for you" Elliot tells giving her a warm smile, which fades from his face when he saw the strange look on Liv's eyes. Elliot turns looking for the reason for her sudden expression and finds a man standing not far from them.

AN: WHO DO YOU THINK IT IS? WANT TO KNOW? PLEASE REVIEW… : )


	17. Chapter 17

AN: HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEWING! I KNOW THE CHAPTERS ARE TOOOOOOOOO SHORT AND I'M REALLY SORRY FOR THAT. THE THING IS THAT I STARTED THIS STORRY IN ANOTHER WEBPAGE WHERE THE WORDS ARE LIMITED! I'LL TRY TO UPDATE TWO CHAPTERS INSTEAD OF ONE. : )  
I'M NOT SURE IF I SHOULD CHANGE THE RATE FOR THIS. MAYBE 'T'.  
I HOPE YOU HAD A GOOG XMAS! AND I WISHES YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

DESCLAIMER: L&O: SVU AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH17  
Olivia stands still, almost frozen, not knowing what to do. She wasn't expecting him so soon.  
"Hey Olivia" the man approaches her and greets her with a soft tone.  
Elliot observes trying to identify the stranger but the image is blurred in his mind. Seeing the reaction of Olivia, Elliot decides to get out of the car with concern. The stranger turned to him and a strange expression on his face is drawn to recognize Elliot.  
"Is everything all right, Olivia?" and soon he gets next to her and asks the question without separating his eyes from the strange man. But Olivia remains in silent. "Elliot Stabler" He decides to present himself stretching his hand toward the man trying to find his identity. The stranger takes his hand and politely replied gravely nodding.  
"David Haden" The man says.  
"Ahm ... David ... what are you doing here?" Olivia finally is able to articulate the words trying not to look nervous but her voice betrays her immediately.  
"I called you and Nicolas answered. He said you left your phone in the office and he assumed you'll be here" Hearing Nicolas name bothers Olivia and the fact that he has been answering her phone makes her really mad. Elliot just listens and watches in silence still trying to figure out where he had sawn Haden before.  
"You could have call to my apartment's phone." Liv explains without sounding really annoying. "I'm taking a few days off."  
"I know. Liv we have to talk." Olivia's body tenses immediately and her hand unconsciously seeks for Elliot's who is still at her side.  
"Ahm ... David, right now I'm kind of busy."  
"Liv." His voice keeps soft just like the glare he dedicates her "I heard about your ..."  
"Yes! ahm ... The News do fly uh?" Olivia immediately interrupts him answering with frustration. Elliot is trying to figure out the answers to the questions that continue to surround side by side in his mind.  
"We need to talk." David insist starting to feel uncomfortable and annoyed by Elliot's gaze, whom he had recognized since he saw him getting out of the car. He really doesn't like to had found Olivia with him. David knows exactly who he was and he had witnessed the pain he had caused her a year ago ... He can't understand what is Elliot doing there right now?  
"Ahm ... Now I'm busy" She replied trying to be cordial.  
"Olivia, please." David tries once more. "It is important." Elliot notices Liv's discomfort and wants to understand what is happening. Ifs he was bothered by David's presence or if rather was his own presence that kept her discomfort. Elliot searches for her eyes to get a response and immediately she turns to him seeking his approval. They can still communicate silently.  
"Ell can we rain check?" She says aloud more for David to hear and making sure he knows her answers is yes.  
"As you wish." Elliot replies asking with his eyes if she really wants him to agree. Liv nods answering his silent question.  
"I'll call you tomorrow." She assures giving him a slight smile. David takes a couple of steps back uncomfortable with the strange energy between Olivia and Elliot.  
"That sounds perfect. If you need anything I will be home."  
"Yes. Thanks for everything. Say goodbye to Elli for me."  
"Sure. Hopefully he won't cry, you know, he really expects to see you there when he wakes up." both direct their gaze into the car watching the little one sleeping peacefully.  
"Tell him we'll see soon." She doesn't dare to promise a tomorrow. She knows that the conversation with David could be something complicated and lengthy.  
"I doubt he will be satisfied with that." Actually her answer doesn't satisfied Elliot either. "ahm... anything you need... I mean..."  
"Yes, thank you. Goodbye Ell" He approaches her and hugs her kissing her on the cheek. They normally never said goodbye this way but now things have changed and indeed they both like to do it without all the job's troubles. He gives another look at David before getting into the car again.  
"Goodbye" David says showing his good manners. Elliot made a gesture with his hand responding and closes the car door. He decides to wait until he sees them entering the building and after a few minutes he turns unconsciously toward the window of the fourth floor. A twisted smile appears on his face to see how the lights go on and off twice. She hasn't forgotten; she was all right.

:  
"Want a drink?" Olivia offers kindly opening the refrigerator.  
"Water is fine, thanks." David does not know whether to follow her into the kitchen or walk to the living room to wait for her sitting on the couch. In his mind he is thinking in the right words to use. He knows it's delicate topic but if he has gone to her apartment looking for her is precisely to get answers.  
Olivia is busy filling the two glasses with cold water and turns to find him standing beside her, watching her carefully. This flashback them both to their first night together, and they both smile. It had been a good weekend.  
"Thank you" David accepts the glass of water and immediately takes it to his mouth taking a small sip. "So, was he Elliot?" He asks already knowing the answer.  
"Yep" she nods and answers biting her lower lip in frustration.  
"When ... When did he resign to come back?" the annoyance in his voice is very obvious.  
"A couple of days ago." Olivia answers as concise as she can. Not wanting to give him more information than the one she believes necessary. The silence quickly surrounds them and only their eyes kept a strange conversation.  
"David?" Liv encourages him not wanting to be her who opened the topic of conversation. He gets a little closer to her and takes his hand up to her flat belly. Olivia let out a sigh unconsciously to the slightest touch.  
"Liv, is it mine?" his voice soft but with a decisive tone, his eyes fixed on hers sinking for the answer in silence. Olivia tries to swallow the lump in her throat.  
"No." She answers without beating around the bush. She can find in David's face a strange grin full of disappointment. He nods, looking down letting his hand slid from her belly to her waist down to her lower back. She steps forward letting him continue. They know they shouldn't been going that. They had taken the decision to separate for the sake of their careers; they had agreed that it would be like it never happened ... But in this moment neither of them care. For her there was a need to a closure. For him a feeling to ensure.  
Their lips danced slowly accepting each other's. Olivia let her arms around his neck deepening the kiss, sliding her tongue over his lips getting the answer she expected. David pushes her gently pinning her against the kitchen counter. His hands caressing her waist. His lips leaving hers to live down her neck. A low moan escapes out of her throat to feel the suction he applies to her skin. The hormones taking over her body and she is quick to take to the room before they finish making it in her kitchen again. Their clothes fly through the air falling in different parts of the floor before they get to bed. Liv dropped to the bed pulling him with her. She enjoys the caresses of his hands over the smooth skin of her breasts, the kisses of his mouth on the pulse of her neck; the pleasure of being with him again. She knows this is a goodbye and she decides to enjoy it as much as possible.

AN: HOPE YOU LIKE IT! YES… IT WAS DAVID. I HOPE I CAN UPDATE SOON. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR A XMAS PRESENT? REVIEWS! : ) I LOVE THEM!  
ALSO… IF YOU LIKE SUPERNATURAL STUFF GO AND READ MY OTHER FIC… 'ETERNITY' ; )


	18. Chapter 18

AN: I DISCOVER THAT MANY OF US DON'T LIKE DAVID HADEN UH? BUT I'M GLAD YOU ARE LIKING THIS STORY. PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOU OPINIONS AND GUESSES. REVIEWS ENCOURAGES ME TO CONTINUE CAUSE THIS IS GETTING HARDER TO WRITE.

DICLAIMER: L&O: SVU AND ITS CHARACHTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH 18  
"Elli breakfast is ready!" Elliot yells from the kitchen arranging the dishes on the table. He listens to the swift steps upstairs and then down the stairs. Soon the little guy gets to the kitchen in his superman's pajamas with his still sleepy eyes and tousled curls.  
"Good morning young man." Elliot greets his kid watching him trying to take his place in the table. The chairs still are very high for the little boy's height.  
"Hello" Elli says annoyed without looking to his dad and taking his 'choco' into his little hands. Elliot let out a sigh but decides not to say a thing. The night before when they arrived home Elli had looked for Olivia and when he didn't find her he made a huge tantrum blaming Elliot and being really angry with him. And apparently he still is.  
"You have homework?" Elliot asks taking his sit beside him.  
"No. Tomorrow we will go to the museum." the boy answers grudgingly taking his fork and trying to take the pancake without much success. Elliot rushes to cut it into pieces for him and pour maple on top of them.  
"I could do it by myself." Elli babbles without moving from his place. Elliot rolls his eyes and leaves the cutlery on the table.  
"Eli, don't be mad at me." Elliot tries while preparing his own pancakes. The small kid ignores him and continues his breakfast. "I also wanted her to stay buddy. But she had things to do." He tires to explain for the thousandth time.  
"And when will she come again?" Elli asks finally turning to him with his big doubtful eyes.  
"I don't know. Hopefully soon." and he really wants to get her call soon. The information is incomplete and yesterday had become even more confusing to him. He starts thinking in calling Fin and see what he can find out from him. He notes in his mind to do it in the week if he doesn't get more information today, if he saw her today.  
Elliot finished eating and was in charge of raising the kitchen while the little kid is thrown to the couch to watch the film again.  
"What do you want to do today?" Elliot asks sitting beside him.  
"Ahm ... can we go for a choco ice creamy?"Elli answers while moving on the couch until he is upside down, with his little head hanging in the air.  
"Okay." Elliot says looking for the child's backpack to make sure that he has no homework indeed. He finds the paper for the museum day and finds a pen to sign it.  
Outside the house a car is heard parking followed by a door shut. The boy dropped to the ground and runs excitedly to the window to look out. Elliot wonders if it could be Olivia who came.  
"Oh ... Maureen is here, daddy!" Elli warns with a tone of disappointment but a smile on his face.  
"Maureen?" Elliot goes to the door to greet his eldest daughter.  
"Hi Dad" when she sees him she gave him a big smile and hurries to hug him.  
"Hello Mau. What bring you here?" He let her in the house and aks really intrigued.  
"What? Can't a daughter come to say hi to her old man?" she says jokingly. "Hello monkey!" Maureen greets the small Superman standing on the couch.  
"Hello monkey!" The boy greets back starting to jump excitedly.  
Maureen rushes to pick him up and gives him a tickle attack making him laugh.  
"How are you?" She asks leaving him on the floor and bending down to his height.  
"ahm?... angry!" His smile disappears being replaced by a pout and an angry look towards Elliot.  
"Why?" She says paying attention to her little brother.  
"Cause Livie's gone!" Maureen's expression is full of surprise upon hearing Liv's name. "Dad didn't stop her, Mau! She was suppose to sleep here again like yesterday but she didn't!" Elli complains to her older sister who still doesn't understand much.  
"Liv , Liv?"  
"Yes! that Liv!" The kiddo points to a photo on a table in the distance to ensure they were talking about the same Olivia.  
"She slept here last night, Elli?" Maureen asks looking up to his father in search of an answer. Elliot nods and returns to his place on the couch.  
"Yep." Elli replies. "Yesterday we went to the zoo and I saw the monkeys!"  
"Really? Did you have fun?"  
"A lot!" In his sleepy little face a grin of surprise in drawn. "I have to pee!." He runs directly to the stairs.  
"There's a bathroom down here!" Maureen tells her brother laughing.  
"And upstairs too!"The kiddo answers already on the top of the stairs.  
She takes off her jacket and turns to see Elliot who is distracted reading the paper permission.  
"Olivia?" Maureen calls his attention making him turn to her. He just nods. "When did you two get back to talking bases?" The smile on Maureen's face is light, and she is already imagining various things.  
"A few day ago."  
"How is she?" She asks really interested in knowing the answer.  
"Ahm ... Well ... I" Elliot doubts a little because he really doesn't know the answer. Maureen just nods and lets out a smile sitting on the sofa.  
"So ... She slept here?" The mocking tone in her voice makes Elliot look at her with doubt.  
"What does that mean, Maureen?" he asks annoying. She answers with a smile. Upstairs Elli is heard running and shooting a door.  
"Elli! Flush it!" Elliot yells closing his eyes. Again they hear his footsteps and the door followed by the running water.  
"I was never unfaithful to your mother, Mau."  
"And I never said that Dad" She picks up the phone winking at Elliot who looks her with discomfort.  
"Ready!" Elli appears back and jumps straight to the couch snuggling against his sister.  
"Who are you calling?" he asks with his eyes full of doubt.  
"Kathleen." She says dialing the number.  
"Oh ... don't tell her that Livie slept in her bed uh? She will be mad." The kid explains. She just shakes his hair and gives him a smile.  
"Oh hello? Kath... Mauree ... I'm at home is that my phone get out of battery... Yes ... No, I have to make changes ... yeah? Then we met here? ... Perfect!"  
"Hi Kath!" Elli screams standing alongside his sister.  
"Yes they are here ... we'll wait for you... Bye!" Hang up the phone and cuddles with her arms Elli.  
"Kathleen will come?" Elliot asks.  
"Yes. We have to decide the table decorations" explains Maureen while paying attention to Elli.  
"That's good!" Elliot is really glad to spend an evening with his family.

Olivia is lying in her bed reading a book that Amanda had given her a few months ago, some erotic literature. She tries not to think about what happened during the night. They had enjoyed most of the night together having fun and enjoying the most and although she had decided it was a farewell she could not help but feeling disappointed in the morning when David had to leave saying he had to be in court. She definitely doesn't want to think about it, so she focuses on her reading.  
"hahaha what the hell is this?" She speaks aloud reading surprised "if there is a Christian Grey out there I want him... without the sadomasochism stuff please." she says referring to the main character of the story. She can't understand how anyone could get excited with such situations.. "And I will be the dominant." And then her protective inside detective appeared. "Hopefully any young girl is biting this stuff. As if I don't know how badly all this kind of weird stuff can end."They had had enough cases that went hand in hand with sadomasochism and that kind of sex never had caught her attention. Pain... she doesn't like any kind of pain. Actually she is afraid of pain, physical and emotional...More of the emotional one. And lately she had been dealing with a bunch of it. And it's all just starting.

AN: REVIEWS PLEASE? ANY SUGGESTIONS? FOR THIS OR ANY OTHER STORIES?


	19. Chapter 19

AN: I'M KIND OF DEPRESS LATELY SO NO MUCH TO SAY TODAY. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.

DESCLAIMER: LAW AND ORDER SVU AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH19  
"Eli No!" Kathleen complains to hear her brother's proposal.  
"But it's my favorite!" Elli complains without releasing the film.  
"Elli you've watch it like a million times! Let's do another one!" Elliot tells him getting out of the kitchen with two large bowls full of popcorn.  
"Oh ... Well. But not a romantic one. uh? Neither one of princess and singing animals. uh?" The small kid asks his father walking straight and letting his film on the table. He stretches to steal a couple of popcorns from the bowl.  
"Where is the one I gave you in your birthday?" Maureen asks to her young bro.  
"Ahm ..." Elli is responsible for chewing and swallowing before lifting his little hand pointing to the second floor and answer. "Upstairs." He runs to the stairs and start to climb excited.  
"Elli, grab to the railing!" Elliot shouts delivering the bowls to each of his daughters. To then take a look to his mobile phone and check the screen one more time.  
"Hey Kath, what do you think of these?" Maureen shows an arrangement of flowers in a catalog that she has been browsing.  
"Mmm ... No, isn't it to tall? People wouldn't be able to see each other's faces if you put that on the middle of the table!"  
"Oh you're right." She crosses the page and continues browsing. "Oh Kath, guess who was here last night?" She tells his sister grinning. Elliot turns to her and rolls his eyes.  
"Who?" Kathleen asks mouthful of popcorn.  
"Auntie Livie." Maureen replies naming Olivia as they used to call her when her brothers were as small as Elli. Kathleen's eyes open huge and turns to see Elliot immediately looking to secure that information. Elliot let out a sigh and decides just to nod.  
A loud noise is heard and the cry of the little Elli calls everyone's attention so the three of them rush to go to the next room to find the child sit in the middle of the stairs.  
"I nearly fell ..." Elli says scary looking for his father's gaze. Maureen is quick to climb up the stairs and hold him while Kathleen takes the films that have been watered down through the place.  
"Are you okay?" Elliot asks attentive to his son, who nods clinging to her older sister with his watery eyes full of fear.  
"Why so many movies?" Kathleen says with all the boxes in her hands.  
"I just didn't know which you wanted to see." The child explains more calm.  
"_Despicable me_ was fine, Elli"  
"If I hadn't grabbed the railing I would have fallen."  
"That's why it is important to always hold" explains Maureen walking with her little brother in arms to the living room. They settle into the coach and watch the film starting to laugh since the very first scene. Elliot watches his children and can't help but smile finding himself surrounded by their happiness. But his mind keeps thinking on Olivia and he continuously checks his phone waiting for her call wondering if he should call her.  
After a few minutes he hears a car stop outside the house. As a former detective Elliot is always alert to everything around. He rises trying not to draw his children's attention and walks to the window to know who it is arriving. His heart speeds up, recognizing the old sedan he knows so well. A smile appears on his face and he rushes to the main entrance to receive her. Maureen notices what happened but she does not move from her spot on the couch. Elliot opened the door to find no one so he decides to walk towards the car slowly trying to hide his excitement to see what was taking so long for her to come out of the car. Being closer to the old car his smile fades immediately noticing that in fact it was the same old car but it wasn't Olivia who was behind the wheel. The young Nicolas waits until Elliot is nearer to open the door and get out of the vehicle.  
Elliot watches with doubt and anger stopping at a distance that seems appropriate to him. Nicolas gets rid of his sunglasses showing a fearless expression walking towards him.  
"What are you doing here?" Elliot asks in a loud and demanding tone.  
"Elliot right?" Nick greets him. "I think we have not been presented yet. I'm Detective Nicolas Amaro." He offers his hand acting politely. Elliot looks down and observes before accepting the hand and giving it a strong shake.  
"Elliot Stabler. What're you doing here?" he asks again without taking his eyes off of Nicola's.  
"I came to talk to you." The detective replies somehow more seriously than before.  
"About what?" Elliot tries to be less aggressive seeing that perhaps it could be his chance to find out more information than the one Olivia had give.  
"The only person we have in common."  
"How did you know where I live?" The question comes out with naive curiosity.  
"Ahm ... Fin told me." Elliot rolls his eyes and tries to make a notation of killing Odafin as soon as he see him again. What makes him remind Fin has the same debt with Liv.  
"What is so important that has brought you here?" Elliot continues trying to get more information.  
"Can we go in?" The young man asks pointing to the house.  
"No." Elliot answered without hesitation. "I'm actually kind of busy right now."  
"Look Elliot I wouldn't be here if it wasn't that important. Why did you think Liv didn't tell you?" Elliot hates hearing him call her by her nickname but decides to hide his anger.  
"We'll talk in the car." Ell answer walking toward the passenger side. Nicholas let out a deep breath before returning to the car.  
Elliot opens the window and looks back toward Nicolas.  
"What happens with her?" Elliot demands to know going straight to the point.  
"She is pregnant." Nick starts thinking how to use his words correctly. Although he has been thinking all day whether to go to Elliot's home and whether tell him or not, he can't find the right words.  
"I already know that. She do tell me." Ell complains rushing the young man to talk. Nicolas staying silent nods again.  
"Sure. But she hasn't told you everything. Look, probably I shouldn't tell you. God knows why she doesn't want you to know. But ..." He stops and takes a deep breath looking calm. Actually he thinks he knows the reason she had chosen not to tell Elliot, precisely the same reason why he needs to tell him. "She will only listen to you, you know?"  
"Nicolas, can you get straight to the point? Please?" Elliot demands without answering the last question. Maureen looks out the window and recognized the old car. She focuses her eyes and notices her father inside the vehicle with the young man who she can't recognize. She keeps alert but decides not to interfere.  
"Elliot, Liv is very ill." Ell pays attention to Nicola's words and remembers hearing them before. He decides not to say anything yet and waits for the young man to continue before jumping to conclusions. "A week or so ago the doctor has announced her and ... Well I don't know the all the medical terms but the only thing is that it is ... It is serious ..." Nicolas begins babbling starting to feel nervous. "Look, the point is that they can't apply the curative treatment while she is pregnant." Elliot keeps quiet while processing the confusing information feeling a hollow in his stomach. "There's still time to ... To decide whether or not..."  
"Obviously she doesn't want an abortion." Elliot finally speaks saying the things just as they are desperate from the awkwardness in Nicola's words.  
"No. If Fin came looking for you was because he believes she will listen to you ... which I doubt a little if I'm honest." Elliot watches him with doubt. "Look I do not know how your relationship was but I'm sure you were someone important to her and ..."  
"Nicolas, you're right you know nothing. Thanks for coming." Elliot opened the door and gets out of the car leaving him alone.  
"Hey, wait!" Nicolas hurries going after him "what will you do?"  
"Go back to your work!" Elliot yells walking back home. The young detective stops and lets out a sigh of frustration.  
"Dammit" He complains to see the front door close. He knows he has risked too much going to look for him. Olivia would not be pleased to find out about it. But nevertheless he expected to have done well. He hopes that, despite how devastated and hurt she had been for him, Elliot really still has that power over her.

AN: REVIEW PLEASE?


	20. Chapter 20

AN: I'M SORRY FOR THE DELAY! I HADN'T HAD TRANSLATE THIS ONE. LUCKLY ME I HAVE THIS NICE FRIEND WHO DID IT FOR ME! SO HERE YOU GO! THANK HER! :)

DISCLAIMER: LAW & ORDER SVU AND ALL ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH20

Maureen sees his father come and note his expression full of concern. Elliot turns to her and tries to smile without much success. She watches him with doubt in her eyes hoping he can explain something, but Elliot only shakes his head slightly and continues walking towards the stairs. After a few minutes, he comes down with his jacket on and the keys to his motorcycle.

"Hey! Can you stay here a while? I gotta go."

"Sure Dad... Don't worry" He nods and gets out of the house, leaving his daughter with doubts.

Olivia decides to take her car from its confinement not having the slightest intention of taking the subway again. That only would make her dizzy. She drives to the precinct hoping to go unnoticed 'cause she only wants to get her cell phone back'. She parks her Mustang in the spot where the old sedan was supposed to be and she quickly goes towards the main entrance.

"Afternoon, Detective" The officer at the entry greets her.

"Hi" she vaguely says without stopping her way to the elevators.

In the office Munch is finishing the paperwork from the last case while Fin and Amanda are already starting a new one. Olivia goes quietly to her desk looking for her phone without much success. She opens the drawers hoping to find it there but nothing. Amanda comes out of one of the hallways and sees her.

"Hi Liv." She says waiting for her to turn around so she can give her a smile. Olivia lets out a sigh realizing that she has been caught.

"Hello... Ahm... Do you know where Amaro is?" She asks guessing who has her phone. The same annoying person that had been answering it without its owner permission.

"He told me he has something important to do" Answers the blonde taking a couple of papers from her desk.

"Okay..." she murmurs closing the drawer with more force that necessary. "You know by any chance where he put my cell phone?" Amanda just shakes her head walking back into the hallway. Olivia drops herself into her chair putting her hands on her forehead.

"Hey, Liv. How you feeling?" John asks her from his desk.

"Fine" she honestly answers.

"And... how's Elliot?" he continues trying to make a conversation.

"He's fine. Enjoying his retirement" Talking about him makes her smile which Munch is really glad, as lately just the mention of Elliot used to cause her pain.

"I'm glad. I should start thinking about retirement too"

"You? But you're the youngest of all of us, Munch" she says making him laugh with her little joke.

"Is there a new case?" she questions thinking she could help them with something since she was already there.

"Yeah. Fin and Amanda are working on it. There's no victim alive" he explains turning his attention back to the papers.

"She got killed?" She asks, starting to take an interest in the case. John just nods.

"You joining us?" asks Fin walking toward her. Olivia lifts her head and gives him a withering look. She hasn't forgotten about Fin's lately actions.

"Uhm... I think you'd better work with Amanda" he says as he path away from her.

"I agree Tutuola" she replies trying not to laugh. "Fill me in?" she asks to Amanda, who nods laughing.

"The victim was found last night in an alley outside a nightclub called Eternity... Ahm, we interviewed the employees and we are waiting for the access list."

Olivia stands up and walks over to the young detective. She likes working with Amanda, she is the only one who doesn't treat her with careful or looked at her sadly. Despite being informed of what was happening, Amanda has learned to still act normal around her. She stays in the correct side of the barrier that divides the personal stuff from work.

While Amanda explains her the details of the case, Nicholas enters the office with a tired expression and Olivia's phone in hand. Fin is the first one to see him and quietly asks with a gesture what was wrong.

"The traffic was terrible from Queens and someone parked their car in my place." Amanda and Olivia turns after hearing his voice but Nick has not noticed them. "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to go, Fin. That Elliot has a temper. He was so rude." Fin tries to make him stop talking knowing that Olivia wouldn't like to know that he went to Elliot's. But she had heard enough to understand what he was talking about.

"You went to see Elliot?" she asks with a high pitched tone, furiously watching the young man turn frightened.

"Ahm... what are you doing here, Olivia?"

"I work here! You went to see Elliot, Nicholas?" she angrily asks one more time.

"No... Well... I... "

"How dare you to... what for?"

"Olivia I... We thought..."

"We?" she asks looking at her colleagues.

"You weren't going to tell him, Olivia" Nick says louder this time trying to make her understand why he did it.

"What?! Nicholas, you… you told him?! What?!" she lets out a big sigh of frustration. "I will say this once. This is my probl... It's personal. It's _my_ life, okay? You have no right to interfere! None of you can..."

They're all silent and even the Captain is present watching her with sadness. Liv swallows before walking to Nick and remove her cell phone from his hand to then disappear through the door.

Everyone stays in silence facing each other uncomfortable about the situation. They didn't want to piss her off but they were really worried about her.

"Well, I think we have a case to solve" Cragen finally speaks, breaking the silence. They all nod and return to their respective jobs.

Once in her old Mustang Olivia doesn't know what to do. She drops her head on the steering wheel staying silent for a couple of minutes. She have no idea how much Elliot knows now and how Nicholas had told him. But she knows that eventually she'll have to face him and that the issue would come up sooner or later. She decides to take her phone, maybe she could invent that she has a lot of work and find a way to postpone that conversation. But for her bad luck the battery was fully discharged.  
Starting the engine with a loud roar, she goes back to her apartment planning to lock herself there for a long long time.

Nick was right, the traffic sucked. It took her almost an hour to get home. While climbing the stairs she's still thinking what to do. Maybe she should call him and tell him the excuse she had thought before. Or perhaps she just should lock herself in her apartment and disappear from the world for a few days. Either option would be good; the original idea is not to have to deal with that conversation at all.  
Being near her door she fishes for her apartment's keys in her pocket.

"You're finally here"

_AN: THANKS FOR BEING PATIENT! PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR OPINIONS! ; )_

_PD: FOR THOSE WHO LIKES PARANORMAL STUFF GO AND READ 'ETERNITY' ITS CRAZY. LIV A VAMP?_


	21. Chapter 21

AN: THANKS SOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS GUYS! I APPRECIATE THEM SOOOOO MUCH!  
HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER. THEY FINALLY TALK ABOUT IT. LET ME KNOW YOUR OPINIONS. ANY IDEAS? GUESSES?

DISCLAIMER: LAW AND ORDER SVU AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH21  
Olivia doesn't need to look up to know who it is. She could recognize that voice any time she listens to it, anywhere.  
"Elliot." Their eyes meet and she smiles at him waiting for a smile back but all she gets is a full of seriousness and even fear expression.  
"Where is Elli?" She asks, turning her attention to the doorknob to open it.  
"At home with his sisters." Elliot replies and walks behind her entering the apartment.  
"They went to visit you?" She tries to continue the conversation not daring to turn around and face him.  
"Olivia" Elliot doesn't allow her continue diverting the issue. From the moment he saw her eyes he realized the surprise that he had caused her ... She already knew that he knew. "Your partner came to visit me." Ell says making her looked up to his eyes.  
"I know." She accepts with an evident annoyance in her voice.

Elliot takes a few steps from side to side in the small space not knowing what to say. Now he realizes that maybe he should have taken the time to analyze the situation before facing her. But prudence had never been a Stabler's quality.  
"Elliot?" She calls him taking a deep swallow. "What did he exactly say?" Probably is better for her to know what Amaro had said in order to choose her words properly. She doesn't know what will be Elliot's position in all this but she knows that at the end of the day, and although she doesn't like to accept it, his opinion is the only that really matters to her.

"Not much." He responds by stopping his continued walking. "But honestly I did not like to hear it from him." As the words come out of his mouth he regrets them. Olivia's dace draws a grimace of frustration and pain. How he dared to say that? After what he did he had no right to complain.  
"Are you serious?" She asks him leaving out a frustration sigh. "'I can't believe you."  
"No Liv ..."  
"No, don't you 'Liv'me!" Her voice goes up a couple of shades but she wasn't screaming. "I took the decision not to tell you. You shouldn't have even found out."  
"But ..." He tries once more been interrupted again.  
"Stop it!.. Elliot, is my life. And you stopped being part of it so long ago ..." those last words got out almost in a whisper. She really doesn't want to fight. She doesn't want to talk about it. She doesn't want to feel the pain that she has learned to control. "I want to be alone." She tells him walking towards the door to open it and with a gesture he is asked to leave. Deeply inside she is so afraid that with this he will disappear from her life again and maybe this time for good. But he is more afraid of him staying, of confronting a reality that terrifies her.

Elliot observes the hall and walk towards the exit. He turns to see her at the time that he passes in front of her but Olivia looks down waiting for him to get out. He continues his way without knowing what to do. At the moment he feels the door begins to close behind him without hesitation he turns stopping the door with his foot and pushing it open again. Olivia takes a step back by the force and suddenly she feels in Elliot's arms pressing her against his chest. In a couple of seconds she has no more to do than let her arms around his torso and bury her face in his chest. Words are not enough for the feeling. Both are silent absorbing each other's heat and familiar scent. They remain motionless for what seems like forever until she decides to separate.  
"I'm really sorry, Liv. I never meant to hurt you." In his blue eyes his sincerity shining. "I know I do not deserve your trust Olivia. But ... I need you to ... give me a second chance. Understand that you are very important to me." She nods without removing her gaze from his eyes.  
"As brothers." she says wanting to know if they were in the same page.  
"No. You're more than that ... Please tell me, Liv."  
"There's nothing to talk about. Whatever Nicola said to you is ... I already made my decision and ..."  
"I'm not going to judge you, Olivia. I respect your decision, I have always done. I just want to understand what's going on." Liv nods and takes a deep breath.

She walks into the apartment again allowing Elliot to follow. She can remember that, indeed, of all decisions she had taken during the last thirteen years of her life Elliot had been present always supporting her. Even those that even she hadn't decided he had already choice to support her regardless what it ended up been. Always present without taking the decisions for her but guiding her trying to find the best. Always ... Until a year ago.  
"I'll explain it all." Olivia doesn't know exactly what the young detective had told him or made him understand. But she needs to explain things as they are.  
"A lot of things had happened in the last couple of months. The man that was here yesterday is a ... an ADA I met shortly after you ... you left." Elliot tries to remember the man's face. "Ahm ... We hang out a while but ... it didn't work." She decides not to talk in depth about what happened. "And I realized that maybe in fact it will never work with anyone Elliot." He just listens carefully trying not to interrupt. "And the truth is that my time is running out. So I decided to try the artificial way." A ghost of a smile appears on her face which makes Elliot smile too.  
"It's a long and tiring process. It didn't work the first two times and the truth is that I was about to give up. Hormones injections and ... Well you know doctors have never been my fascination. Not when I'm the patient." Elliot recalls the accounting times he saw Liv in a hospital or clinic and he knows what she referring. And he knows her displeasure with these situations has a lot to do with the fact that she never liked being the center of attention. "But I think it was worth ..." Her hand rests on her flat abdomen as affirming her words. The little person growing inside her is worth it.  
"So in the end it worked?" He asks knowing the answer.  
"Yes, when I knew that ... It had finally happened ... I was so happy." Elliot notes her eyes filled with tears and her smile appear on her face again. Yet he knows that it is not all. He knows that something is wrong.  
"I didn't want to tell anyone until I was sure but one day while working on a case I started feeling bad. I first thought it was normal but then ... I fainted while driving. Thankfully I was at a red light and Nicholas acted quickly." Olivia must accept, no matter how upset she is, that Nicholas has been a good partner.  
"And then everyone knew." Elliot tries to guess.  
"Yes. Everyone was in the hospital when I woke up." She lowers her gaze remembering the worried face of everyone in the room.  
"They did some blood tests and all that." A grimace on her face is drawn. Olivia has never liked the needles.  
"Olivia Benson in the hospital. I can imagine that." Elliot jokes a bit while waiting to hear the rest of the story.  
"I was discharged the same day. But they didn't let me get back to work. Nicolas and Fin were responsible for bring me home and imprison me in that bed." She laughs but Elliot doesn't. Rather he remains serious and even frowning. He can't help but feel bad about not being with her, nor can avoid the anger that causes him to know it was Nicolas instead.

Olivia sighs and thinks for a few seconds on how to proceed. She had decided not to tell him before for several reasons. One of them, and the main, is the fear that Elliot may try to convince her to change the decision already taken. And the other was the fear that he will end seeing her as the others did. With pity.  
"A couple of days later I received a hospital call to introduce me to the doctor that afternoon. Everyone noticed and offered me company but I really wanted to do it alone." She remembers how at the time she thought of the only person who she really would have liked to be at her side.  
"The analysis showed a vitamin deficiency anemia."  
"That's normal in pregnancies." Elliot stops her remembering that Kathy had suffered anemia with the twins' pregnancy.  
"Yeah, that's what the doctor said. He prescribed me some vitamins but he wanted to be sure so he run some tests and then he found the tumor." She stops only a few seconds before continuing with the intention of not letting him to process information.

She tries to tell the doctor's explanations and how she could not help but tell everyone. All, except for Amanda, had called the same day worried about her. Elliot listens carefully arranging all the information in his mind. And especially trying to read her perfectly, trying to understand her feelings about the situation.  
"It's advanced and the doctor recommended I start chemotherapy as soon as possible but ... I'm just in the first trimester and that would cause ... it would interrupt the pregnancy."  
"Are there other options?" Elliot asks analyzing the situation

AN: REVIEWS?


	22. Chapter 22

AN: IN ORDER TO NOT KILL 'BIA BENSON' HERE YOU HAVE A NEW CHAPTER. I WILL BE GLAD TO HAVE A BETA READER, IF YOU GUYS KNOW OF SOMEONE PLEASE LET ME KNOW. MORE TO COME NEXT! PLEASE REVIEW.

DISCLAIMER: LAW AND ORDER SVU AND ALL ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

Decisions CH22  
"Are there other options?" Elliot asks analyzing the situation. Olivia nods and takes a deep breath before continuing.  
"The doctor recommended that ... Ahm ... we end the pregnancy before applying the treatment. Which is safer than letting the treatment to cause it." Elliot looks into her chocolate eyes and instantly regrets it finding her fear reflected in them. Looking for Olivia's hand he takes it with more force than planned. His heart squeezes understanding the situation.  
"I've decided not to." And there's the reason why everyone was worried.  
"You will not take the treatment?" She shakes her head with a doubtful look, waiting to hear his opinion. With fear of listen the same words that everybody had said.  
"Have you told the doctor?" But Elliot hasn't decided anything yet. He needs to know each and every detail.  
"No. I have an appointment on Tuesday and ... I'll tell him the decision I've made." Olivia says trying to make her former partner understand that she doesn't want him to try to intervene.

Silence appears flooding the room. Elliot processes information holding her hand while Olivia waits patiently. He knows more than anyone how much Olivia has wanted to be a mother. He has seen her suffer enough times. But more he has seen all the love Olivia has in her heart; stored there for the person growing inside her now.

Elliot takes a deep breath and feels how Olivia's hand tightens immediately. Does she think he will judge her?  
"Can I go with you?" He asks looking at her with a serious expression. Olivia is surprised to hear that request. She was expecting a verdict, an exasperated reaction as everyone else's. But Elliot didn't. He rather asks for something she would have asked later. To be with her.

"Sure." She answers letting out the air she didn't know she had been holding.  
"Thank you." He thanks not only for accepting his request but for how so easily she had restore an undeserving confidence. "You're not alone."

A soft knock at the door caught both attentions. Elliot is full of doubt while Olivia gets up to open.  
"Who is it?" She asks while walking towards the door.  
"Liv, is us." Odafin's voice is heard on the other side. Olivia frowns stopping near the entrance. "Hey sis, please open up." Elliot watches and decides to head to her side. "Look ... We want to apologize."  
"You better go." Olivia answers with evident annoyance in her voice.  
"No, Liv. We are really sorry." Munch tries. Olivia rolls her eyes and decides to open the door to see his teammates appear.  
"Hello." Fin greets her with a look of concern.  
"Hello" She answered flatly.  
"Liv, we want to apologize for what happened. You are absolutely right. We have no right to interfere in your life." He stops hoping to see a response to his words.  
"True you have no right." She answers.  
"But Liv can you understand that we are concerned about you?" Nicholas says daring to speak. Elliot turns to look at him with anger. Nicholas ignores him and doesn't separate his look of Olivia.  
"I know that. But you went way too far." Liv answers giving him a glare remembering that the rookie had dared to go to Elliot's home. After few seconds she gives a couple of steps back letting them in.  
"I really don't think so." Nicholas babbles feeling Elliot's harassing look.  
"Olivia we are concerned and we want the best for you." Munch decides to continue trying to prevent Amaro to mess up everything.  
"You don't know what's best for me." Elliot keeps by her side watching the discussion silently.  
"Agh!" The whimper comes from Nicholas's deep throat gaining everybody's eyes. "To be alive! That's the best!" He complains.  
Elliot's jaw tightened immediately and his mouth gets a bad taste.  
"I'm alive!" Olivia answers really annoyed.  
"For how long?"  
"Hey! You have no right to talk her like that!" Elliot finally says approaching the young unaware that his fists is already clenched tightly. Everyone reacts by stopping his arms.  
Nicholas's eyes expand in surprise. "Do you agree with her?" He asks with evident discomfort. He had hoped it was Elliot who made her change her mind and now it was completely the opposite. "Are you serious?! You don't mind if she dies!? I should have known! Why would you care!?" And that was enough for Elliot's fist to land hard on his face.  
"Elliot!" Olivia screams hurrying to stop him along with the others.  
"You don't dare saying I don't care about her!" Munch takes Nicholas who was already about to hit him back.  
"Then help her!"  
"Nicholas!" Olivia yells trying to stop the fight. "Enough!"  
"Listen up you idiot! Do not ever talk to her like that!" Elliot continues really angry.  
"Guys calm down!" Odafin tries barely able to hold Elliot any more.

Olivia moves to stand between the two men."Enough!" She shouts very loudly making everyone to stop. "Nicholas, get out of my house!"  
"Olivia"  
"Get out!" She repeats giving him a glare. The young man is released from the hands of Munch.  
"You're making a stupid thing."He says before getting out of the apartment. Silence takes over the room while Elliot calms down.  
"Everybody get out." Olivia says feeling exhausted. Elliot turns to look at her with doubt in his eyes.  
"Everybody." She repeats dedicating him a warm look. "Your daughters should be waiting for you."  
Fin places his hand on her shoulder expecting her to turn and see him.  
"We'll talk later." She assures him stroking his hand before walking the few steps to the door indicating the exit. Fin takes her in his arms without receiving a very enthusiastic response. Munch gives her a smile and leaves behind his partner.  
Elliot walks more slowly and stops in front of her. Olivia gives him a real smile and approaches to embrace him. Fin and Munch decides to continue so they can have some space.

"I'll call you tomorrow so I can go with you, ok?" Elliot tells her without releasing her from his arms. She separates a little and just nods catching his look again. As their eyes meet Elliot doesn't think twice and leans a little towards her to raise his lips to hers. Is just a light touch before separating again and turning around to go down the aisle. Olivia stays in the driveway petrified for a few seconds until a small smile appears on her face.

AN: WHAT ABOUT THAT END?! PLEASE REVIEW! ANY IDEAS? FOR THESE OR NEW STORIES. I'M WRITING ONE ONE SHOT.. BUT I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD UPDATE THAT. "/


	23. Chapter 23

AN: I'M SORRY FOR THE DELAY. I HAD A LITTLE PROBLEM WITH MY DOCUMENTS. I LOST TWO CHAPTERS FOR "ETERNITY" AND ONE WHOLE CHAPTER FOR "PILLOW TALK". SO I HAVE TO WRITE THEM ALL OVER AGAIN AND TRANSLATE THEM AND PFFFF!... BUT HERE YOU HAVE ONE FOR "DECISIONS". I HOPE I CAN WRITE MORE SOON. (Reviews can encourage me.) ;) HOPEFULLY I WILL HAVE SOMETHING WRITTEN FOR SAN VALENTINE'S DAY... MAYBE A LITTLE PRESENT FOR "PILLOW TALK" READERS. :P

PD: I'm not a doctor but I'm trying to keep this approached to reality. Sorry if there is something that doesn't match to real life. (Thanks god it is not real life)

DISCLAIMER: LAW AND ORDER SVU AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH23

Elliot observes Olivia's restless hands playing with the edge of the scarf that hangs from her neck. He looks down to find her feet moving just as restless. Without hesitation he takes his hand to her in order to stop their moving. She drops the wrinkled fabric and let her fingers intertwined with his.

"It's the one I gave you?" Elliot asks referring to the scarf. Olivia looks at the fabric before looking up and gives him a smile.  
"Yes." She answers remembering the last Christmas they had been together and that silly scarves exchange Munch had organized. "I've been using it since the cold started."  
Silence takes over the small office where they wait patiently for Olivia's doctor.  
The kiss? They have not talked about it yet. Both of them chose to ignore what happened, something they usually do when they feel things can get ... Complicated.

After a couple of minutes Olivia decides to speak again feeling uncomfortable with the silence.  
"Elli returned with Kathy?" She asks trying to get a conversation topic and give some distraction to her thoughts.  
"Yes." Elliot answers still holding her hand "He was really upset with me."  
"With you? What for?"  
"Letting you go on Saturday. You know he wanted you to stay." And not only had the boy wanted that.  
"He should be upset with me not you."  
"He isn't anymore." Yesterday he called me when he came back from the museum. " And the first thing he did was ask for you."  
"I think I owe a sleepover to your son." Olivia says mockingly.  
"Yes I think so."

And the silence returns once more until a man in his fifties enters the room.  
"Hello Olivia." He greets her offering his hand which she accepts and shakes slightly.  
"Hello." The doctor's eyes fly to Elliot and offers his hand to him too.  
"And you are?" He asks with evident doubt in his eyes.  
"Elliot Stabler." Ell presents politely standing up and taking the doctor's hand.  
"He's a good friend of mine." Olivia lets him know before he can mislead the situation.  
"Nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Coleman."  
"Is there a problem if I stay here?" Elliot asks hoping the answer is positive.  
"If Olivia agrees, yes you can." The old man answers him seeking the answer in his patient's eyes.  
"It's fine."

Elliot and Olivia take their seat waiting for the doctor to put his glasses and take some papers from a not too distant cabinet. Liv sinks for Elliot's hand taking it between hers again.  
"I've been thinking on your case Olivia. We gave reasonable time to think on it clearly."The doctor starts directing his warm gaze into Olivia's eyes.  
"Yes, and I've thought about it." Elliot is silent feeling how Olivia's hand tightens. "I will continue with the pregnancy." The doctor just nods knowing in advance that this would be her decision, but he had held out hope that maybe the couple of days they gave to think it would had been for help to change her mind. It seems it hadn't.  
"You are not taking the chemo then?"  
"No." Olivia answers in a rush ensuring her words.  
"Look, we both know how much it cost us to get here, and I understand, but I really need to know that you're aware of the consequences this decision may bring." Olivia falls silent feeling frustrated by her doctor's words. And then Elliot decides to talk.  
"What are the consequences?"He asks without letting go Olivia's hand. Dr. Coleman turns to see him doubtfully but decides to answer his questions with the intention to inform Olivia all the possibilities.

"The tumor is growing rapidly which could be controlled with chemotherapy, but as Olivia is just in the first trimester of her pregnancy, the high doses of drugs would end up in a miscarriage. And chemo is known to leave woman sterile. Our first choices were to prevent a miscarriage by performing an abortion before applying the treatment or not applying it at all." Elliot listens carefully processing the information he actually already knew.  
"And if it is not applied?"  
"Well, the pregnancy continues but also the tumor growth. We can't remove it without controlling it first and if we let it grow there's a possibility it would spread to other parts of her body and grow to a point where we can't do much." Elliot's stomach squeezes understanding the doctor's words. His hand unconsciously squeezes his friend's hand.  
"This is the risk we take if we wait until you give birth to apply the treatment." Dr. Coleman returns his attention to Olivia who remains motionless in her seat. "That if it doesn't progress faster than expected and you are not able to reach the end of the pregnancy." The doctor's words are strong but full of consternation putting Olivia against the worst situation she could face in the future.  
"There are no other options?" Elliot asks trying to hide the concern that attacks him.  
"I've been studying similar cases and... We can wait until you finish the first trimester and see how much the tumor has grown. If by then it has progressed more slowly we can continue monitoring it during the whole pregnancy."  
"And if it hadn't slow down?" Olivia asks finally intervening in the conversation.  
"Well in New York the legal limit to perform an abortion is up to twenty four weeks so we will be able to still perform it without legal issues. Actually we had had some cases were the patient is over the legal limit but we still got the permission to perform the abortion arguing that their lives are in danger. Is something we did a couple of times already." Olivia makes a gesture of dissatisfaction with the response. It seems that the only solution the doctor is giving to her is to end the life of her unborn child.

"There is no other option rather than abortion?" Elliot asks feeling just as frustrated as Liv.  
"Yes there is but some women don't like it either. Treatment can be applied from the fourth month without it necessarily causing a miscarriage. Statistics are really good. The highest percentage of women who had win cancer and had healthy babies is 95 percent. The other 5 percent suffered the miscarriage or the drugs hurt the babies." Dr. Coleman explains to Olivia telling her one more option. "What concerns me here is the fast growth of the tumor."  
"But then she could do that. Wait until see how it progress, right?" Elliot says with a bit of hope in his voice. Olivia is silent processing the new information... a new possibility.  
"Yes, if that's what you want Olivia we can do that." She takes a deep breath before answering nodding with a serious expression.  
"Yes. We can wait and see. Abortion is not even an option."  
"Well then we'll do that. I would check you today and give you your next appointment in a couple of months, Okay?"  
"Yes." Liv accepts feeling a little less tense.  
"Can you wait outside please?" The doctor nicely asks Elliot who nods in response.

Olivia an Elliot stands up coordinated still holding hands. The doctor moves from his place to prepare some of his equipment and before walking out of the room, Elliot gives Olivia a warm smile.  
Dr. Coleman asks her to lie sit down on the exploration bed in order to listen her heart beats and her breathing with his stethoscope. "You have a nice heartbeat." He says with a gentle smile. "Tell me; is he your boyfriend or something?" He decides to ask cautiously continuing to measure her pressure. He knows that it had been an insemination and she hadn't mentioned any boyfriend or girlfriend so he wondered.  
"No. He's ... Ahm ... My best friend." Olivia answer paying attention to the device around her arm.  
_

The doctor took care of Olivia carefully reviewing her and then he gave her the date of her next appointment letting her go for today. Which she appreciated.

The road to her apartment was silent but not in an uncomfortable way. Simply both of them were processing all the information. Once they arrive they stay silent in the car.  
"Tomorrow you go to work?" Olivia asks not wanting to get out of the car yet.  
"Yes I have to give a couple of classes." Olivia let out a chuckle at the answer. "What?"  
"I still can't see you as a gym teacher." Elliot smiles back.  
"Balls, ropes, sweat ... not a big deal. But, ey!, I have a whistle." They laugh together for a few seconds before the surrounding silence again.  
"Ell?" Olivia says quietly. "Thanks for coming with me."  
"No, thanks for letting me come." Their looks are joined once again reminding Liv of the kiss he stole from her a couple of nights before. She lowers her gaze to his mouth and in a rapid movement approaches him to brush her lips against his separating immediately.

"You owe..." Elliot muted her words bringing her back to his lips. It takes her a few seconds to react before letting her lips dance along with his. Her right hand slides into his cheek wishing the moment last a little longer. But before the kiss can get deeper she reasons what is happening, who is she kissing, and decides to break the kiss leaving their foreheads pressed together.

"You're not alone." Elliot says in an almost inaudible whisper.  
"I know." Olivia answers getting back to her place. "I know." She repeats looking for his eyes and retracting at the moment she finds them. She turns away trying to avoid a deeper conversation.  
"I'll call you." They say at the same time.  
"Yes Ahm ... I have to make things right with everybody and work a little."  
"Yes." Elliot doesn't say much either. As she he is trying to deal with all that happened in the day.  
"Well, tell Elli I'll see him soon." She says opening the car's door. Elliot smiles and nods knowing that her words mean he will see her again soon. "Be careful." She asks him before closing the door. Elliot waits outside the building until he sees how the fourth floor lights blinked a few times.

AN: PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. : ) (too much drama? go ahead and read pillow talk just for fun.)


	24. Chapter 24

AN: I'M SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE MY STORIES. I'M WORKING ON THEM AS HARD AS I CAN… WELL MAYBE I COULD WORK HARDER. REVIEW PLEASE.

DISCLAIMER: LAW AND ORDER: SVU AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH24

A week later, Elliot is in his job at lunch time accommodating the volleyball balls that have been all over the yard. The weather began to improve announcing the approach of the spring and he had the opportunity to give his classes outdoors. He watches the children running from side to side enjoying their free time playing games in the yard. A smile appears on his face thinking that soon the little Eli will be on first grade. He really hopes to get him admitted in that school this way he could spend more time with him.  
"Hey coach." A woman's voice takes him away from his thoughts and makes him turned to meet Tania walking towards him.  
"Hello Tania." He greets her closing the balls' net.  
"I brought you something to eat." She offers a sandwich shaped container giving him a friendly smile.  
"Oh, thank you. You didn't have to bother." Elliot accepts it kindly thanking his colleague. "I'm about to leave." He lets her know.  
"You hadn't eat with us for days, Elliot. Actually I think I haven't seen you by the teacher's room in weeks." The woman complains unwrapping her own sandwich hoping to Elliot to imitate.  
"I stay in the gym and sometimes I have no more classes after lunchtime so I prefer to eat at home." Ell explains starting to walk toward the gym.  
"Miss Tania!" A little blonde girl greets the red hair teacher running towards them with a really excited expression.  
"Hello Samantha." Tania bends down to greet the enthusiastic girl.  
"I learned the song! Today we have class with you." She says excitedly.  
"That's great Sam!"  
"I'm leaving." Elliot takes the chance and continues his way to the gym and sneak towards the school's exit. He doesn't dislike Tania but he can recognize when a woman flirts with him and it is really not in his plans to date her. Aside Maureen had asked him to meet her and her fiancé for lunch time and he is late already. He still needs to go home, take a shower and meet them in a restaurant in the city. Hopefully he won't find much traffic on the bridge or perhaps he could use the motorcycle.

"He shouldn't take any longer." Maureen tells Richard, her fiancé, while patiently awaiting in their table. She really hopes that his father won't take much longer to arrive because Richard has to go back to the office soon.  
Elliot rushes to park his motorcycle and gets down to the restaurant door.  
"Good afternoon, sir." A young brunette greets him at the restaurant's entrance. "A table for one?"  
"Good afternoon, someone is already expecting for me." He tells peering into the restaurant in search of his daughter.  
"Do you know the registered name?" The woman asks looking in the waiting list.  
"Maybe Stabler Ahm ... or ..." He ponders trying to remember the second name of Maureen's fiancé. "Geller?"  
"Geller Stabler, yes here they are, please follow me." Elliot can't help but smile when discovering they have used both names.

"There he is." With a huge smile Maureen rises, followed by Richard, to greet his father.  
"Thank you." Elliot thanks the young woman who just smiles and nods getting back to her job. Elliot immediately reaches out to his daughter with a huge smile on his face to hug her tight.  
"I'm glad you've come." Maureen says giving a tender kiss on her old man's cheek.  
"I hurried the best I could." He says seeing her in the eyes and then directing his gaze to Richard.  
"Hello Mr. Stabler." He greets him politely offering his hand to shake.  
"How are you Richard?" Elliot asks with a soft smile nerve sparing the young.  
"Fine, and you?" He answers returning back the smile.  
"Fine."  
"Sit down dad." Richard is quick to accommodate his fiancé's chair and everyone takes their place. They call the waiter and soon they find eating and having a comfortable conversation.

"How are the preparations going?" Elliot asks waiting to hear if they had invited him to lunch to ask for financial help or something. Richard and Maureen had insisted that it was not necessary for him to make expenditures and that they will pay for everything. Even so Elliot insisted and he had helped his daughter with some stuff.

"Very good but we are still missing some details. But actually with Kath and Liz's help it has been much easier." Maureen replied before taking a bite of pasta into his mouth.  
"I like that you are spending some time together." Ell lets her know really feeling good to see his daughters working together at the wedding.  
"They love this stuff. I'm sure they could open a company of wedding preparations and gain millions." Richard comments managing to make them all laugh.  
"Hahahaha, surely. But first they must finish college."  
"Yes there's no doubt." Maureen answers agreeing with her father.  
"I have to return to the office, baby." Richard announces interrupting the conversation.  
"Alright love." Elliot stands up to say goodbye to his future son in law and although he insisted Elliot didn't let the young man to pay the bill. After saying goodbye to his beloved Maureen returns to her place to finish her food.  
"Well dad I invited you to give you an invitation." She says moving in her place to reach her hand bag looking inside it.  
"Invitation? Why the father of the bride needs an invitation?" Elliot complains while watching the cute envelope her daughter gives him.  
"Well, Mom will take George as her couple ..."  
"what with that? I'm still your father." He interrupts her words feeling attacked.

"No daddy, don't misunderstand me." Maureen is quick to say before Elliot take it the wrong way. "I want to make sure you bring someone." A strange grimaced appears in Elliot's face not understanding much.  
"Maureen I don't need to take someone." He complains again.  
"Yes you have." Maureen represses him. "And to make sure you will I brought this invitation."  
"You giving me an invitation doesn't guarantee anything. I'm not really dating anyone." Elliot says trying to make a good point.

"The invitation is not for you." She lets him know with a smile that seems to not disappear from her face. Elliot makes a face of disgust and doubts a little before taking the envelope to see the name on the label. A twisted smile appears on his face while reading.

"I know you won't invite her so please give it to her for me. Ok?" Maureen goes on not wanting to give his father time to reproach. "It only have one ticket." Sheexplains without many words encouraging him to be the one who goes with her.  
"Mau, daughter, I'm not sure she... Ahm ... can go." Ell replies starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.  
"Well give it to her anyway." She asks with a grin that Elliot recognizes perfectly well. It was always done by her whenever she wanted to convince him of something. How to say no to that?

"I will." He finally accepts taking the envelope in to the inside pocket of his leather jacket. He is glad that now he has a good excuse to get to see her after a week of not seeing her at all. "But I can't assure you she will go."

"So? Had you arranged things?" Maureen takes the chance to obtain more information. After the day she finds out they had spoken again and after seeing how his father rushed out after the visit of the young detective, Maureen has many questions unsolved.  
"It seems." Ell answers without giving much information to his daughter.  
"How is she?" But she keeps trying.  
"Ahm ... well ...fine." Ell says unconvincingly.  
"Is something wrong?" Mau leaves her plate with the little food that remains in it and puts all her attention to his father waiting for answer.  
"No. .. Well." Elliot takes his time giving the last sip of his drink before continuing. "She's going through a difficult time, Mau."  
"Oh." Not very satisfied with what little he wanted to tell she decides not ask more. It is clear that it's a topic that he doesn't want to talk. "Well. Please give it to her and tell her we'll really love her to attend to the wedding, with YOU" She startles the last word reminding him that's what she wants.  
"Okay princess." Elliot accepts bringing her hand to the chin of his daughter. "I'll tell her."

At the station the whole team is trying to analyze the few facts they have about their new case. Everyone is sitting around the huge old board looking at the information and dropping their hypotheses.  
Olivia tries to work just as good as she had always done. However the constant fatigue and nausea that bothers her doesn't allow her.

She has not spoken much of what happened days earlier in her apartment because she only commissioned to calm things down the easiest way... ignoring it completely. She tries to treat all her team workers the most professional way possible but with Nicholas the situation hasn't been as easy as with the rest of them. At the end of the day Odafin and John have worked many years with her to understand that she doesn't want to talk about it and they can respect her decision. But Nick was not as wise as his companions. He has already tried to talk to her intercepting her in the elevator or in the cribs but he has only managed to win her rejection. Yet he doesn't stop trying.

Moreover Olivia has been working most of the time with the only person who seems to still remain on the border of that separation between work and personal life ... Amanda. It is much easier to work with someone that isn't constantly asking her if she feels ill or who sees her with those compassionate eyes she hates too much lately. Much easier.

"Then Fin and Munch will ask the neighbors what they know about this girl." Donald gives the order with a tone somehow frustrated by not having a lot more information about what happened with the case.  
"Amanda and Liv can try to find out more on her Facebook page." Both women nod and move to their desks to start researching on the net.  
"Nicholas, you can go to Morales to see if he could recover some of the information of her phone." And so all focus on performing their duty.

"I don't get why people like to publish all their life in these pages." Olivia complains focusing her eyes on the computer's monitor. "How many people become aware of it?"  
"It's supposed that only the friends you accept can come into your wall and see your posts." Amanda says only to maintain the conversation while watching the victim's pictures from days earlier.  
"Well actually I doubt this girl personally knows all these people." Liv expresses noting the number of 'friends' that the girl has added. "And if we can go in and see without being friends surely anyone can do it too."  
"She removed the option of privacy ..." Olivia looks up to see why the blonde was suddenly silent. Amanda looks toward the entrance making her to turn.

"Hello." Elliot greets her without going into the office altogether. He really doesn't feel very comfortable in that place. Not after the last experience he lived there. He can notice they have made changes in the structure and he avoids reasoning the why of them.  
"Hey, Ell." Olivia gets up from her chair with an expression full of concern and walks towards him. "I'm sorry I hadn't call earlier is just that we have a lot of work and ..."  
"It is ok Liv don't worry. I understand." He avoids the extensive and unnecessary explanation. Amanda does not move from her place but remains attentive to both guessing their situation. "You have an hour for dinner?" He asks knowing that it is more likely that the answer is no.  
"Ahm ... I don't know ..." Liv says not really sure.  
"Hey Olivia I can handle Facebook." Amanda intervenes letting her know that she can cover her.  
"But ..."  
"Go ahead have some rest. I'll call you if we find something relevant but I doubt we will." The blonde insists with a slight smile on her face. Elliot smiles feeling empathy with the young detective.  
"Are you sure?" Olivia asked feeling slightly guilty because she really wants to go but she doesn't want to leave all the work to her partner.  
"Yes Olivia." Amanda responds with some discomfort at having to insist more. Olivia gives her a warm look and decides to take her things and accept her help.  
"Thanks, I owe you one." She whispers as she close all the programs from her computer. Amanda just shakes her head. "I'll have the cell phone on." Liv lets her know before walking to Elliot again.  
"Thank you." Elliot tells giving her a warm smile. Amanda only responds smiling back.

Once they are outside the station both stop at the curb and turn to see each other.  
"Have you eaten something yet?" Elliot asks trying to break the silence. Olivia stays quiet a few seconds remembering what was the last thing she had eaten.  
"Ahm ... Not since last night." She answer truthfully.  
"What you want to eat? Chinese?" Elliot's notices the wry face and sees her hand flies to her tummy. "Nausea?" He asks with a twisted smile. Olivia just nods. "Well how about if we buy some ingredients at the grocery store, and prepare a delicious homemade dinner."  
"That sounds better than Chinese food." Olivia acceptably accepts the idea. "Can we go to my apartment? I wanna change my clothes."  
"Sure. Ahm ... Did you bring your car?" Ell asks looking around for the old sedan but not finding it anywhere.  
"No. Today Amanda went for me and Fin and Munch have the old Ford." Liv explains. "You came in the subway?"  
"No." He responds while taking the Harley's keys out. "I come on that." He points to the other side of the street and watch Olivia's eyes expand to find the motorcycle.  
"You finally bought it?" She asks somewhat excited. Ell just nods with a proud smile. "How long have you wanted one?" She expresses actually knowing the answer.  
"A couple of years." And then Olivia's smile disappears. "What is it?"  
"Don't even think I'll ride that thing." She says knowing that it would be their transport.  
"Uhm. Then how we will get to your apartment? You know that the subway is all humidity at this hour and crowded. Sure it will cause you nausea and dizziness." Ell tries to convince her with the bad comments about public transport.  
"A taxi." But she finds another solution.  
"A taxi? Seriously? At this hour?" And Elliot continues coaxing. "Besides I can't leave my _baby_ here. She will think I don't love her." and his words make him worth an annoyed look from her.  
"Then you go with your _baby_ and I'll take a cab." She turns around and makes a signal to a taxi coming in the distance which is quick to reach his client.  
"Are you sure?" Elliot asks when he watches her open the door of the yellow automobile.  
"Yes, you are going to the store right?" Olivia orders already in the taxi.  
"Pfff. Okay!" Elliot has no other to accept. He doesn't plan to force her to do anything she does not want to do. "I'll see you there."  
_

To the misfortune of Olivia is heavy traffic in Manhattan and she has had to spend more time in the taxi than she expected. She peers through the window's glass and recognizes the building on the corner of her block so, kindly, she asks the driver to leave her there. She pays what the meter indicates and gets out of the car for walking to her building. When she folded into the corner her eyes fly to the man who is standing leaning against the wall of her building holding a plastic bag. She takes the chance that Elliot has not seen her for take a look of him. It is strange to see him wearing casual clothes and she has to accept that he looks good. He looks more relaxed than he used to in his working clothes. She stops her walking and looks carefully at her former partner, a pair of shoes that are very comfortable, not too tight dark jeans followed by a white shirt which she can't see very well cause the leather jacket that covers it. Casual.

When she looks up she meets his eyes and she can't help but blush as she realized that he has discovered her in her little inspection. She continues her walking fishing for her keys inside the bag avoiding having to see him directly.  
"You know how long I've been here?" Elliot asks taking a couple of steps moving from his comfortable position. "I even go to the grocery store."  
"I can imagine how fast you were driving." Liv answers him finally getting the keys. Elliot just smiles. "I'm not used seeing you without your suits, Stabler." She says in an attempt to explain why she had been staring at him. Trying to sound as normal as it was any other comment.  
"It's more comfortable." Ell answers in the same way saving them an awkward moment.

They enter the building and go up to the fourth floor in complete silence and it is not until they are in the safety of her apartment when she decides to talk again.  
"I'm going to put something more comfortable." Liv tells him walking to her bedroom. "Ahm ... get comfy." Elliot smiles and nods before watching her disappear behind the door.

Once in her bedroom Olivia sits on the bed to remove the comfortable boots she always wears to work and unbuttons her pants that to her surprise begins to be somehow tighter. A smile appears on her face unconsciously remembering the reason for this. She leaves out a loud sigh before getting up to look in her closet for a comfortable old blue pants and a slightly big white shirt. Then she gets into her bathroom to freshen up with the sink's water. She watches in the reflection to find a smiling Olivia. Yes, she is happy, and she knows the reason. Elliot.

She takes her time changing her clothes and fulfilling some of her body's needs. And it is not until few minutes passes when her body asks for another need be satisfied. Her stomach roars loudly and then she notes the pleasant aroma that filled her apartment. She sniffs a little earning another growl of her stomach. She rushes out of the bathroom and follow the delicious aroma to her living room to find Elliot without his jacket with his back to her cooking in her kitchen for the second time.

"Ahm ..." She clears her throat a bit to get his attention making him turn his head sideways to see her over his shoulder. "Sorry for the delay." She says coming to the kitchen.  
"No problem." Elliot answers returning his gaze back to the pan. "Like the omelet?"  
"Mmm yes." Olivia says peeking over his shoulder to see the food. "It looks delicious." She tries to move through the small kitchen to take out a couple of dishes, cutlery and glasses to placed them on the counter that separates the kitchen from the living room. She is responsible for serving lemonade and waits until Elliot places some omelet on each plate.  
"Have you seen Elli?" She asks before taking a bite into her mouth. "Mmmm" she expresses to receive the delicious taste.  
"Not until the weekend." Elliot replies enjoying watching her eating. "You think being free those days?" He asks remembering he has promised his son they would see Olivia.  
"I'm not sure." Liv answers not stopping eating.  
"I hope so. Elli would be very happy." Then he decides to start eating but doesn't take his eyes off her. "Today I saw Maureen and her fiancé."  
"How are the preparations going?" Olivia asks not really so interested but happy to have a conversation topic.  
"They say that fine. Indeed ..." Elliot puts aside his fork and gets up in search of his jacket which he had left in one of the sofas. "... She sent you something."  
"Me?" Her expression is full of doubt at Elliot's words. "Why?" Elliot takes the envelope from the inside pocket and handed it back to her.  
"She wants you to go to the ceremony." He tries to explain a bit hesitant in the last words. He doesn't want her to feel compromised.  
Olivia looks down watching the cute envelope and turns it to find the label with the guest's name. A smile lights up her face to read it.  
_'Auntie Livie "_  
"Oh." She expresses feeling a lump form in her throat.  
"She really would like you to come. She sends greetings." Elliot sits in place and says trying to avoid the silence.  
Olivia tries to swallow the lump in her throat. "Thank you. Tell her I will really try to be there."  
"If you want we can go together. I mean, I can pick you up and we can go in the same car." He tries to sound casual rather than a formal invitation.

"Where is it going to be?" And she keeps the conversation feeling more comfortable that way.  
"Ahm in the east Hamptons. It will be on Richard's parent's garden. "  
"Oh."  
"It will be a whole weekend out of town." Ell tries to explain what little he knows of the preparations for the ceremony. "Kathy and the children decided to be there on Thursday but I have to give classes on Friday so I can't go until the afternoon. We can plan it and go together…"  
"Yes I think it is a good idea. When did you tell me it will be?" She asks interrupting him and then taking another bite into her mouth.  
"March 21."  
"In a couple of weeks." She says doing the math mentally. Elliot gets really serious for a few seconds before his expression softened a bit with a slight smile. "What?"  
"I thought it was longer." He explains letting out a breath. "My girl is going to marry, Olivia." She smiles and moves her hand to take his.  
"You did very well Elliot." She says giving him a warm smile. "You're a very good father."  
"It's a hard work." He expresses taking her hand in his. "You'll be a great mother."  
Olivia responds only with a sigh and rises to take their now empty dishes to the sink. Elliot takes his lemonade in a hurry and gets around the counter to give hers to her noting that neither of them had taken one sip during dinner.  
"Thank you." She accepts the glass and takes it straight to her mouth feeling a refreshing relief from the feeling of the cold water down her throat.  
"How are you feeling?" He asks in the most normal tone he can trying to avoid her to feel somehow offended.  
"Pretty good." And indeed, she does not take it wrong. "It was delicious. I think you like to cook eggs." She says mockingly reminding the breakfast he had prepared for them a week ago.  
"Yes it is gift." Elliot answers with an egocentric air that makes her laugh.

He takes away the empty glass of her hand and unconsciously approaches her to wrap his arms around her to be able to put the glasses in the sink behind her. The closeness of his body makes her nervous and she decides to take a big breath trying to avoid him to notice. But Elliot notices immediately and moves away the bare minimum to look into her eyes.  
"Liv ..." He whispers approaching her face asking for permission to continue. She doesn't respond with words but rather with a slight movement to reach his lips with hers.

AN: THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEWING!


	25. Chapter 25

AN: FINALLY! AFTER SOOOOO MUCH TIME HERE YOU HAVE A NEW CHAPTER! SORRY FOR THE DELAY!  
THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR OPINIONS. : ) I'LL TRY TO WRIT MORE SOON I PROMISE!

DISCLAIMER: L&O SVU AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH25

With just the first brush of their lips a strong energy runs through her spine pushing her against his body. Elliot's big hands hold her hips letting his lips match the smooth dance that hers are inviting his. Liv keeps his hands on his forearms enjoying, once again, that feeling. They are separated only for a second to take a breath and turn their faces and then their lips get back together. They don't rush to take it deeper; they enjoy the simple and slow rubbing. The strong energy that is transmitted between them.

Olivia starts to laugh a little nervous making the kiss comes to an end. She separates as much as the sink allows her and looks down. Elliot smiles and gets towards her rejecting her distance. He brushes his lips to her forehead giving her a tender kiss.

"What are we doing?" Liv asks not daring to raise her eyes. It's not that she really expects an answer to that question. She just wants to make him see how confused she feels. And indeed, Elliot cannot give her an answer because the same question has been turning over in his mind. So, having nothing to say, he decides to take her in his strong arms to let her snuggle against his warm body. She corresponds letting her arms slide around his waist grabbing him tightly.

So they stay like this a few minutes. Just enjoying each other's heat. Elliot buries his face in Liv's hair letting his lungs fill with her scent. She snuggles her face into his strong chest thanking the silence that surrounds them while a few tears slide down her cheeks.

"Ell?" He hears her whisper stifled by his body.

"Mmm?" He answers without moving one bit.

"Thanks for coming back." Liv tells in an almost silent whisper that reaches Elliot's soul.

"Thanks for letting me." He answers back embracing her even harder. And so the silence reigns again for a few seconds until her lungs ask for some air. They separate slowly and she is quick to dry the tears from her cheeks, as always, trying to hide her weakness. And luckily Elliot knows her so well that he doesn't say a word. He knows that the worst thing he can do is make it evident. He gives a couple of steps back trying to stop invading her personal space in an attempt to prevent her from feeling uncomfortable.

"I think it's a little late. You should sleep." Elliot decides to change the subject. He moves to the living room and takes his leather jacket to look for the keys in its pocket.

"Yes, my phone hadn't rung. I can use some sleep." She responds without much encouragement seeing the keys in his hand. A strange sadness attacks her understanding that he is leaving. She doesn't want him to leave.

He watches her with warmth and walk around to the exit. He doesn't want to leave. He wants her to ask him to stay as the last time. But if she doesn't ask him he will respect her space.

"Ahm ... I'll call you on Friday?" Elliot asks with a little uncertainty. "Let's see if you're free and ... you come to visit Elli."

The corner of her mouth turns up with Elliot's words. "Yes, I hope so."

"If not Elli is gonna be really upset with me." He continues the conversation waking towards the door. He puts on his jacket and turns his gaze to Olivia. Maybe waiting for the invitation. But she just opens her apartment's door.

"Ride carefully." She asks with concern grimacing at the remember of the huge motorcycle she denied to ride.

"Always." He lets her know with a smile. "Goodbye." He says approaching her to take her in his arms once again. Both let out a sigh before separating.

"Bye." Olivia tells him trying to keep her eyes fixed on his eyes but her body betrays her and her eyes fly to his lips. Elliot is happy to notice and bends a bit to give her a gentle goodbye kiss which is reciprocated by her. With that he leaves the apartment and walks down the hall without turning until he hears the door close.

Olivia places against her refrigerator and caresses her lips with her fingers remembering the kiss that he stole her in that same place. Her smile fades in seconds to feel alone in her apartment again. Every time he leaves strange feeling of emptiness attacks her. The uncertainty of not knowing if she will ever see him again. The fear that he disappears as he did a year ago.

-/ Decisions\-

"Marillo!" Elli screams excited as her spanish teacher asks him the colors. She has noticed that the child's father has taken longer than usual to come and get him so she decided to approach the small one to see his face full of concern.

"_Amarillo_ Elli. Alright!" She celebrated with a huge smile.  
"Ask me blue _maestra_!" Elli asks with a face full of emotion.

"Ok lets see how do you say Blue in spanish?" The woman asks happy to see the child excited about the language.

"_Azul_!" Elli answers excited, feeling proud to know the answer.

"Very good! Lets see, now tell me how you say purple?" She decides to ask him a difficult one.

"Oh" The boy's face is draw with doubt and his smile disappears. "Ahm ... Why hadn't my daddy arrived yet?" So he decides to change the subject not knowing the answer.

"He won't take long." The teacher says hoping she was right.

"He already forgot me once." Elli babbles with a grin full of frustration to remember that afternoon. He sits back in a near chair holding his backpack waiting to hear his name come out from the speakers.

"He will not forget you honey. Surely he is just a little late." Miss Maria tries to ensure him caressing his blond curls. "Ok what about black?" she attempts to distract him once again.

"_Negro_." He answers without much encouragement. A small girl sits beside him and watches him with doubt.

"Very good." The girl opens her lunch box and pulls out a couple of apples.

"Elli, you want _manzana_?" She asks offering him one of the apples. Elli doesn't even look at her and without much emotion he takes the fruit with his hand.

"_Gracias_ Rose." He says without forgetting his manners. The teacher observes the scene and cannot help laughing to see how her little students practice some of the language outside the classroom. He takes her backpack from his back and opens it in order to put in the apple for later.

"Elliot Stabler, Elliot Stabler." At last the child's name is heard through the speakers what does the small boy wide open his eyes and his expression gets better.

"That's me!" He shouts excited standing up, putting his backpack in his back and making sure to grab each strap with both hands before running towards the exit.

"_Adios_ Elli!" The nice girl yells excitedly shaking her little hand.

"Oh." The child stops his run to flip around. "_Adios_ Rose! _Adios_ miss Maria!" He takes the opportunity to say goodbye to both of them. Again he turns to the main door to find his father waiting for him on the other side. He starts running again excited to get to him.

"_Hola_ Daddy!" Elli yells extending his arms. Elliot smiles and bends down to greet his son with a hug.

"_Hola amigo_." Ell encourages the spanish talking and gives one kiss on his little rosy cheek. "How are you?" He asks separating a little to look into his eyes.

"Fine. Waiting for you sooooooo much!" He immediately complains. "I thought you'd forget again." The teacher at the door patient observes the scene waiting to say goodbye to the little student.

"I didn't, Elli. And it won't happen again." Elliot assures the child hoping he soon forgets that one time that he forgot to pick him from school.

"I hope so, uh?" Elli says with a grin not quite convinced of the words of his father. That to make Elliot roll his eyes at him. "Cause today I thought you forgot your little son." Elli continues complaining doing a little dramatic show.

"Stop it Elli. Say goodbye to your teacher." Elliot says taking the backpack off his back.

"Ok. Goodbye Miss!" The boy looks over to the teacher and shakes her little hand with a smile on his face. Elliot takes him by the hand and turns around to leave.

"Goodbye. Thank you." He says to the teacher and begins walking down the street.

"You bring the motorcycle or the lil'car?" Elli asks while jumping the curb into the street and stopping to see the cars attentive. He got on his father motorcycle once and just after he had plead all day. Elliot had agreed to his son's request with the promise not to tell anything to his mom but the little boy inadvertently told Kathy who got so angry that she was about to ask the judge to cut the weekends of Elliot.

"Lil'car." Elliot answers getting a smile on his face as he remembered the little surprise he had prepared for his son. The same reason that it took him so long to go pick him up at school.

"Ahm .." Elli turns to both sides before deciding to cross the street. "Will I ever ride it again?" He asks without much encouragement reaching to the other side of the street.

"I don't think so." Elliot answers truthfully not wanting to have problems with Kathy again. He looks down and see the disappointment on the child's face which he doesn't like; So he decides to change the subject. "I have a surprise for you." He says hoping to see his expression change.

"A surprise?" Ask the child looking up to see his father in the eye.

"Yes, thats why it took me longer to arrive." Eliot explains keeping his child's attention on preventing him to look towards the car.

"Oh." The boy's expression was full of curiosity and the ghost of a smile begins to appear. "What is it?" He asks really waiting for an answer.

"Elli, it's supposed to be a surprise." Elliot replied laughing at the little impatience boy.

"Ahm ... what if we play 'I guess I guess'?" He suggests looking for the adult's eyes. "I guess..." The kid continues to no response from Elliot. Lowering his gaze concentrating on his feet while making an effort to guess the surprise. "Ahm ... candies?" he asks unconvinced.

"No." Elliot replied taking the car keys to open it.

"Ush. How about an ice-creamy." He tries again.

"No." And once again the answer is no. Elliot opens the back door of the car and bends a bit to help the little boy to get into his seat. Elli accommodates in the kid's car seat and is ready to fasten his seat belt but something catches his eye. He lifts up his eyes to the passenger seat to meet a familiar face.

"Olivia!" The excited cry is heard hard on the car. Olivia let out a laugh which is mixed with Elliot's. Elli is quick to trip and manages to jump to the front of the car to be placed on Liv's legs and hugging her tight. "You are my surprise?" He says with great joy.

"Hi Elli." She takes him in her arms and gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek really enjoying the joy and excitement of the child.

"You didn't expect it. uh?" Elliot tells opening the driver's door to see the scene more easily. The small just shakes her head making his blond curls move.

"You're better than ice-creamy!" He says recalling one of his previous assumptions. "I'm glad you came!" Olivia laughs again holding the little one in her arms. "Oh! Can we go for ice-creamy Daddy?" Elli decides to take the opportunity.

"You crave ice cream?" Elliot asks looking at Olivia waiting for an answer.

"Mmmm sound delicious to me. Yeah, yeah I feel like it!" She answers earning a smile from the child who is in her legs.

"Good. Elli get back to your seat and buckle up." Elliot asks his son who immediately do as he is asked.

"I can put on my seat belt by myself now Liv." He lets her know with a smile from ear to ear.

"You are a big boy!"

They went to a Dairy Queen in the city and enjoyed a delicious covered cone (or choco ice-creamy as Elli calls them) and walked a while in Central Park until they reach a playground where the child has fun playing with the other children who are there.

Olivia sits on the only bench vacated in the place and silently watches the children running from one side to another and how Elliot set up his son in his arms to raise it to the top of the slide. A sigh comes out from the bottom of her chest and her hand flies unconsciously to her almost unnoticed little belly bump.

Elli slides down the slide until falling on the floor letting out a huge and energetic laugh.  
"Again!" He shout excited running to his father who tries to lift him up again. "Noo! I can do it by myself!" He complains getting away from Elliot and running up the stairs of the slide.

Elliot smiles and gets up to watch his son climb to the top and get ready to slide again. He looks around to find Olivia alone on the bench watching. He immediately notices her strange expression so he decides to go to her side. She smiles when she sees him approach trying to suppress the tears that are struggling to get out of her eyes.

"Nausea?" He asks trying not to make her feel evidenced. She just shakes her head and taker her look to the kid again. Elliot sits beside her and let his hand slid to that of her resting on her belly.

"Everything will be okay." He says in a whisper. She doesn't turn to look at him, she just nods and takes Elliot's hand squeezing it slightly in appreciation.

"Liv, you know that I..."

"Elliot?" The voice of a woman interrupts him mid-sentence having both overturn right to meet with the redhead.

"Tanya." Elliot says recognizing the young teacher and standing up to greet her. Getting loose from Olivia's had to offer it to the woman.

"What a coincidence to meet you here." She continues accepting Elliot's and shaking it with excitement.

"Yeah, well I came for a walk with my son." Olivia watches the conversation from her seat waiting to be presented to the strange.

"Oh. Little Elli?" Tanya turns to the games in search of the child who she had the opportunity to meet one day that Elliot had to take him to school with him because Kathy couldn't take him to the hospital with her and the child was free day at his school.

"Liv! Did you see how I slide!?" The small runs excited to the adults.

"Yes! That was incredible!" Olivia encourages the boy receiving him with a smile.  
"It feels amazing!" Elli continues excited taking Olivia's arm and pulling her to get up. "Come! You try!"

"Hi Elli." Tanya decides to greet him waiting for him to turn to her. The small moves his blue eyes to the young redhead and looks at her with doubt.

"Hello." He says without much security not recognizing the woman and takes hold of Olivia's arm.

"You don't remember me?" Tanya asks bending down to be at the level of the small kid and giving him a warm smile.

"Ahm ... Yes a little bit." He replied looking around for his father to see if he can help him remember who the woman is. "Daddy?"

"Remember the day you came with me to work?" Elliot gives him a clue waiting for his child to do by the mere memory.

"Ahm ... Yes." Still holding Olivia's arm, little Elli makes a funny face while trying to remember that day. The adults wait patiently for him to speak again. "Ahh yeah, yeah ... You're the teacher." Finally he says with a tone of relief to remember.

"Exactly, I'm Tanya." She says still crouched beside the child.

"Ah. Hi Tanya." Elli greets feeling more confident to approach and kiss her on the cheek, though he doesn't get loose from Olivia's arm.

" How have you been?" Tanya asks trying to earn his trust.

"Fine." He answers and turns his attention back to Olivia. "Go see how I slide!" He insists ignoring the other woman who decides to get back up.

"Ok! Lets go." Olivia accepts rising up. Elliot sees an opportunity to say goodbye to Tanya and decides to take it.

"We want to see how you get on the slide alone." Elliot encourage his child taking his free hand. "Goodbye Tanya." He kindly be dismissed beginning to walk with the child and Olivia. "See you Monday."

"Yes bye." The woman dismissed without much of an option.

Soon Olivia is helping the child to climb the ladder while Elliot decides to wait by the side of the slide.

"One, two ..." The small starts counting as he sits on the edge.  
"Three!" Olivia shouts as Elli starts to slide down.  
"I got you!" Elliot stops him halfway and lifts him into the air making him laugh hard.

So they played for almost a whole hour until Elliot decided that it was enough time in the sun for the child. They decided to go and buy a few things before heading Olivia's department. They prepared a delicious meal between the three of them. There was no shortage of laughter throughout the afternoon and it couldn't miss Elli's monologue during the meal, this time he decided to let them know his favorite colors and to mention all those who he knows in spanish.

At the end of the evening they decided to reach out to rent a movie (that was fun for both adults and Elli) and then go back and see it in Olivia's mall living room. It was not long before Elli fell into a deep sleep in his father's lap.

Mid-movie, Olivia, attacked by nausea, left her place to lock herself in the bathroom of her bedroom. She had spent the whole day without discomfort and now it seemed that her body would complain the whole night.

Elliot, somewhat concerned, decides to turn off the movie and moves with caution so as not to wake the child. He gets up and walks over to Olivia's room peering silently. All he get to see is the closed bathroom door and the little light that escapes through the crack. He walks towards it and listens to the water running and what appears to be the sound of the toothbrush. Assuming that the malaise has passed decides to return to the living room to wait for her, trying to avoid to get her uncomfortable. He waits patiently until he hears the door open and the light footsteps approaching.

"Everything okay?" He asks when he sees her out of the bed room. She gives him an attempt of a smile and nods without much encouragement. "Mom recommended Kathy ginger for nausea."

Liv nods again and walks silently to her refrigerator's freezer taking an ice cube and taking it into his mouth. Her gaze flies to TV screen and a look of doubt on her face is drawn.

"It's late." Elliot starts trying to explain why it is turned off. "I think we should ..."

"You can stay here." She says spitting out the ice cube into her hand not wanting them to go yet. Not wanting to feel alone again. "There's the guest room." she says pointing to the second door of the place. "It's too late for you to take Elli to the streets. We can arrange the bed and you can stay there." She continues trying to give good reasons for them to stay. "And it's starting to rain." Elliot nods letting her know that he agrees.

"Daddy?" Elli's voice is heard taking the attention of both adults. Elliot walks to see his young son, who looks around getting up on the couch.

"Here I am buddy." Elliot comes over and spreads his arms to receive the child. Elli hangs his father's neck and drops her head on his shoulder as he babbles something not understandable.

Olivia throws the ice in the sink and rushes into the room to get a set of sheets and a couple of blankets. Elliot follows and tries to help while holding the child with his right arm. Liv is responsible for moving the bedspread and put the other blankets in their respective order.

"Daddy, and Olivia?" The boy asks not even bothering to lift his head from his father's shoulder.

"Here she is. We're going to stay with her." He tells making the boy to lift his head.

"Really?" He asks with his voice full of emotion. He searches for Olivia with his eyes and finds her putting the pillows in their cases so he decides to move in his father's arms asking him to put him back on the floor. Elliot understands and drops him on the bed. Immediately the child moves on all fours to get to Olivia. "I'm staying here, Liv!" he announces excitedly.

"That's right. Here you can sleep whenever you..." Olivia stopped her words watching as Elliot denies desperate with his hands and head trying to warn her not to make that promise. "Ahm from time to time?"

"Yes! Promise?" Elli answers looking at her with his big blue eyes full of happiness.

"Yes I promise Elli." And she has no other option than promise. Elliot let out a sigh along with a relaxed smile hoping that this does not become a problem in the future. The little boy gets under the covers starting to curl claiming the bed as his.

"Hey Hey! Elli, go to the bathroom before you fall asleep." Elliot is quick to say knowing that the child can sleep in seconds. Elli does not complain but rather rushes out of the covers and jump out of bed running to the bathroom of the room.

"We don't want accidents at night." He tells Olivia making her smile.

"You think with these blankets is enough?" She asks, noting the pair that she has already placed in bed.

"Um ... I think so." Elliot replied hoping that the child does not take hold of all of them overnight.

Silence makes an appearance, the only thing it's heard is the rain falling outside and a couple of cars that pass through the wet street. After a few minutes they listen to the faucet open and then closed followed by the knob on the bathroom door. After several attempts the kid manages to open it and walks out with his face full of weariness.

"I didn't listen to the water flush." Elliot complains getting the boy to get back in the bathroom shuffling to let go the toilet water. "Thank you."

"I won't forget again." Elli promises returning to bed. Elliot stops him and puts him standing up in the mattress to remove his school pants hopping he can sleep more comfortable without them.

"Don't see me, Liv!" He complains making the woman turn to the wall.

"Oh! Around here I have one of the shirts that Calvin left." Olivia is quick to look for in a nearby cabinet pulling out a green shirt. "It's big for sure but it serves as pajamas." Elliot accepts the clothes and is quick to take his uniform shirt and put him on the green one.

"Huge." Elli complains feeling somewhat uncomfortable. "Like a dress." he says giving his father an annoying look.

"You'll sleep better that way. We did not bring pajamas." Elliot explains properly folding the his son's uniform.

"I have something for you." Olivia says leaving the room and heading to hers before Elliot could say anything. Elli lets out a huge yawn and decides to get back in bed.

"Do not lay on the middle." Elliot complains pushing his small body to one of the sides. Elli only complains with a strange guttural sound before winding into the covers and turning his back on his father. Elliot smiles and decides to light the lamp knowing that his child can't sleep without some light.

"Here, take." Olivia returns with a gray pants suit. Elliot takes it and recognizing that pair of clothes.

"This is mine." He says with a twisted smile on his face upon knowing that she has kept them all this time. He doesn't even remember why it is that she has them.

"Err ... Yes it was here a long time ago." She says trying to make that sound as normal as possible. She walks out of the room trying to give him space but to her surprise he follows her closing the bedroom door behind them.

"Is he already sleep?" Olivia asks little nervous.

"Yes"

"So fast?" She says with surprise as how secure he answered.

"Yes, he still have that facility to fall asleep in seconds." He explains with a friendly smile. "How do you feel?"

"Better. Tomorrow I will definitely buy that ginger thing you were talking about." She answers with a disgust grimace.

"It will help you." He assures her and she just nods.

Olivia decides to return to the living room to take the few dishes that there are; Ell rushes to help her. Without much encouragement Olivia washes the dirty dishes and Elliot takes to observe her in silence. He can notice how her cheeks turn pink and a little playful smile appears on her face.

He wonders what she was thinking that caused her this but he decides not to ask.

"Ahm ... you don't have to wait here." She finally breaks the silence. "Go to sleep I wont take longer." She says trying to make him go and avoid repeating what happened the last time the two were in her kitchen. The same memory that made her blush.

"No problem." But he's very happy to keep her company. He has no bad intentions; he just wants to be with her. "I'll wait for you." She gives him a smile remembering the many nights when one of the two had more work and told the other not to wait and as always the response of both were the same words. 'No problem, I'll wait for you.' She hurries to finish while Elliot makes sure that windows and doors are tightly closed. Soon they are back in front of the guest room's door.

"Good night." She says to him with a smile before turning on her ankles and heading for her room. Elliot, a little iffy, takes a couple of steps behind her but before daring to take her arm he decides to stop.

"Good night Liv." He says returning to the guest room. Both are engaged in a look and a warm smile before closing their doors. Once in the security of the bedroom Elliot let out a big sigh. He walks to the bed where his child is sleeping with his four limbs stretched out right in the middle of the mattress. He lets out a silent chuckle as he shakes his head. How would he love to sleep on the other bedroom with her.

AN: YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT COMES NEXT? WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN MAUREEN'S WEDDING? A WHOLE WEEKEND FOR LIV AND ELLIOT TO EXPERIMENT THIS NEW STAGE IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP? WHAT DECISION WILL LIV MAKE ABOUT THE DOCTOR'S RECOMENDATIONS? REVIEW AND KEEP TUNE!


	26. Chapter 26

AN: HOPE YOU LIKE IT.

DISCLAIMER: L&O SVU AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE.

CH26

Elliot feels the movement in the mattress and doesn't even bother opening his eyes knowing that it is his little son, surely about to wake up, who is making it. Elli moves somewhat sleepy putting his feet up to his father's face. Not many minutes passed before the child opens his eyes sitting in the bed inspecting the place. He soon remembers where he slept and his face lights up with a sleepy smile.

Elliot listens as the child gets off the bed and his light footsteps moves away to the door; he listens how Elli works to achieve it open and as he leaves the room. Elli walks up to the first window he finds fighting with the curtains and trying to peer outside. Standing on tiptoe he looks outside making sure that it was daylight. Once he does he goes back to the room where he has left his father.

Elliot is already hiding under the covers knowing that his son would go to wake him up at any time. Elli goes up to bed with difficulty and slides on it looking for Elliot's hidden face, not finding it he conforms with the ear where he decides to whisper.

"It's morning." He announces waiting him to awake. "Daddy, seriously it is already morning." Elliot just moves a little and fakes a loud snore that makes the child chuckle. "Wakey wakey!"

"Let me sleep." Elliot asks him with his early-morning hoarse and raspy voice.

"But it's morning." Elli complains trying to stand on the mattress finding it difficult with that enormous pajama shirt he had slept on. "Err ... the dress." He complains once he is standing.

Elliot spies through a hole between the covers discovering his son taking the shirt off and leaving only with his underwear.

"And Olivia?" Elli asks with a tone a little louder this time. "Dad?"

"Mmm ... She should be in her bedroom." He replies putting his head under the pillow. The small kid, to see that he has failed to wake up his father, decides to get out of bed again and leaves the room. Elliot then decides to uncover himself and observes to where his son plans to go. By listening how he strives to open a second door he guesses his destination.

"Elli!" He tries calling him softly. "Don't wake her up." He rushed up to see the child in underwear sneak into the room. "Elliot Jr.!" He calls him by full name without success.

Paying attention he tries to listen if Olivia complains but before he can enter the room the child gets out with an upset expression. "She's not in there." Elli informs him walking out the room.

Elliot rubs his eyes a bit and lets out a big yawn before daring to peek into the room where he finds no one. He turns towards her bathroom's door but it is open and the light is off.

"You let her go again." Elliot turns to meet the child's angry expression. "Why?" he babbles.

"Elli, this is her department I did not ... Agh!" He doesn't even try to explain his son because in fact he doesn't even know where Olivia is. He decides to walk to the kitchen listening to his little son's steps after him. "Maybe she needed to go out or something ..." and then he notices a sheet of paper taped to the refrigerator with a magnet. He recognizes Olivia's handwriting so he decides to read the note:

_'Elliot, I received a call from the station and had to leave. I didn't want to wake you. Please eat something for breakfast. Tell Elli not to be angry, I'll see him soon. I left a copy of the key on the living room's table; close the door when you leave.  
Sorry. '  
_  
"Ahm ... She had to work, Elli." Elliot explains to the child taking the note and giving it to the little guy.

"I can't read." He says to his father with his expression still annoying.

"You are learning, try to." Elliot tells him encouragingly opening the refrigerator's door looking for something to eat.

"It's difficult." Elli continues, watching the sheet of paper in his hands. "Here says my name!" He expresses immediately excited to recognize the letters that spell his name. "That's easy. The rest says ... Ahm ... it says she's working." The child surrenders and repeats the information given by his father.

"Told you." Elliot says, smiling and knowing beforehand that the child laziness will give him the reason that would do it easier.

"And when will we see her again?" he asks as a yawn gets out of his mouth.

"I don't know." Elliot answers with sincerity while turning on the stove and putting the pan on it.

"Scrambled egg is okay?"

"Eggs? Again?" The blond boy complains preferring pancakes today.

"Yeah underwear-man, eggs again." Elliot replied mocking his outfit.

"Hey! I'm more comfortable." He explains stretching his little arms in the air to place them on his neck. "And Olivia is not here to see me." Elliot just laughs at his child's logic knowing that actually he would be more comfortable in underwear too.

Soon the two are eating breakfast when they hear a few knocks on the door. Elliot decides to get up a little hesitant and peeks through the peephole.

"Who is it?" Ell questions to not recognize the person in the other side.

"I have a delivery for Miss Benson." A young man's voice is heard. Elliot opens the door and is surprised to see a huge flower ornament.

"She is not here." He says with a somewhat annoying tone.

"Can you receive them?" The young man asks embarrassed.

"Errr ... I don't think there's a problem." He answers receiving the flowers. The young guy only gives him a pen and tells where to sign as delivered and then disappear.

"You bought her flowers?" Elli asks sitting in one of the high chairs.

"No, I didn't." He answers placing the array on the coffee table. He cannot stand the curiosity and decides to look for the small card reading who has sent them.

_'For a remarkable woman. You are not alone. '_

But it comes with no name. Elliot can't avoid the sudden jealousy and immediately starts thinking about who they might be from. Does the rookie detective really have feelings for her?

- DECISIONS -

"These TV shows." Munch complains leaving the interrogation room. "They have been taught to ask for his lawyer as soon as they can." He babbles wincing in disgust.  
"I doubt she would have said something." Amanda says while reading the folder in her hands. "She has been over fifteen years dedicating to kidnap children."

Olivia nods agreeing with her blond partner. If they want to get more information they will have to dig deeper into what happened.

"Hey! You won't believe what we found." Odafin enters the hall with a triumphant smile on his face followed by Nicholas who continues giving them the information they have obtained.

"It turns out we found an adoption agency in New Jersey that has the exact information of three of the children we found." He informs them giving an envelope with the information to Munch.

"Did she adopt them?" Olivia asks really getting into the case.

"So it seems. But she used a different ID." Odafin continues the explanation. "And this has brought us even further." He moves to a computer connected to the screens to show them the new information. "It turns out that this woman has more than 13 names nationwide and four in Europe." Everyone watch surprised to the multiple credentials that appear on the screen, all with the photo of the suspect but from different states and with different information.

"There are more children than those we found?" Olivia immediately asks intuiting that she might use all the ID's for the same porpoise.

"Yes." Nicholas answers by pressing a button to bring up the photos of the children found. "But these children have not been abused. Instead, they were adopted or rather sub-adopted by other families."

" Could it be that this information is false?" Amanda captures everyone's attention. "I mean, have you gone to see if these children really are with these families?"

"Well, we were only able to visit two of them." Amaro answers.

"They are fine. We contact other families who live in different states so give them a visit will not be easy." Odafin continues trying to finish the explanation.

"Then, why do you think some children adopted by her have been placed in good homes and others have been used for sex trafficking?" The captain asks having listened carefully to the information.

"That is what we have to find out." Nicholas responds.

"She already asked for her lawyer."

"We still can make her take it back." Amanda says smartly. "We can let her know that we found the other children and make her believe we can offer a deal if the information she gives us leads somewhere." They all nod knowing that it is the easier option they have.  
"Okay. Amaro and Rollins, get in there and see if you can achieve something before the lawyer arrives." The captain gives the order to the young detectives hoping they can act a good scene to convince her.

"Good cop or bad cop?" Amanda asks Amaro while both walk towards the interrogation room.

"Good." Nicolas answers with a twisted smile. Olivia watches them and cannot avoid the feeling of sadness that pervades her. She remembers when those days when they were Elliot and she doing that plan, when they were so young, novice as those two detectives. Involuntarily she lets a sigh out from the bottom of her chest calling Cragen's attention, who immediately knows what goes through her mind.

"You two, get in touch with the other families and ask for the children. If they have adopted them leaping the law it won't be easy. Let them see that the only thing we care about is the well being of these children." The captain continues with the order addressing Munch and Fin. Olivia is silent waiting for her order.

"You, come to my office please." He asks her walking towards the door with his name on it. Olivia makes a face before following him with doubt remembering that time when he asked the same thing only to announce Elliot's departure. She enters the place not knowing what to do.

"Shut the door." He asks with a quiet voice. She does feel a hole in the stomach guessing what is all this about.

"Is everything okay?" Liv asks looking him in the eye.

"Yes. Sit." He asks her politely pointing out one of the chairs next to a round table in a corner of the office, rather than those facing the desk. Olivia does and watches as the man sits in another chair next to her; taking a place not like her boss, but as an equal.

"What happened?" She asks somewhat anxious to know.

"Liv, you know that I am aware of everything that is happening to you." She closes her eyes and sighs not liking much the theme Donald is heading so she just nods. Until then he had not spoken much. But she knew that at some point he would. "And I stayed away because I know you well."

"And you don't know how much I appreciate it." She takes the opportunity to let him know that she wants it to stay that way.

"But I want you to know I'm on the lookout for you. We all are. And whatever it is the decision you make you will not be alone." his hand taking hers as a way to reinforce his words. "You never will be."

Olivia's eyes immediately get flooded with tears and a lump appears in her throat. "I know, thank you." She answers with difficulty.

"Anything, Olivia, here I am." He continues his voice also been affected. "You know you're like a daughter to me. I'm here not only like your captain, but also like your father, Olivia." He says warmly daring to put into words what they both always known. From the moment she accepted him, he adopted her in his heart, and so it will be forever.

Olivia nods and fight the tears that threaten to leave her eyes. She takes Donald's hand patting it in acceptance. "I'll be fine." She says while looking at the fear in his eyes. Fear that she knows well.

- / / / Decisions \ \ \ -

A week later.

"Elli! Stop playing and help!" Richard Stabler yells at his little brother who's running thrilled by the large garden of the house.

"But I've already put in my suitcase!" He complains while running in circles.

"Elizabeth! By the thousandth time, can you bring your suitcase?" Kathy screams getting out of the house with a large suitcase.

"Let me help you." A young man says taking the suitcase from her hands to take it to the car. George, Kathy's new husband, is a young doctor she met at work. Yes, much younger than her. A good man.

"Thank you love." Kathy thanks him getting back into the house.

"I'm not sure everything will fit in." Richard complains watching the trunk of the van.

"You just have to accommodate all." George says leaving the bags on the floor. Richard makes a gesture of disgust.  
"So you do it then." He complains from getting away of the car and starts running to the youngest of his brothers who decides to run away from him.

"Come here you little dwarf!" He yells while watching the child running away into the street. "Don't cross it!" He orders Elli getting him sidetracked his way avoiding the street. The kid continues running excited on the sidewalk toward the neighbors' house. "Got yah!" Richard finally reaches his brother and rises him in the air making him laugh. "You have to help." He said walking back to the house putting the body of the kid over his shoulder letting his head hang down his back.

"But I already help!" Elli complains moving in his big brother's arms trying to release without accomplishing much. His movements are stopped at the moment the sound of a motorcycle is listened. Immediately he raises his blond head and looks around in the street to see his father come on the big Harley.

"Dad!" He shouts excited. "Dad! Save me!" Richard turns to see his father pass through the street to the front of the house.

"Hey!" Richard says once Elliot removes his helmet. "I'm glad you've come."Elliot smiles him glad to see his elder boy.

"Let me go you butt face!" Elli requires moving harder. Richard agrees dropping him gently on the grass.

"Babe! Elliot is here!" George yells into the house. "Hello." He kindly greets Elliot.

"Hello." Elliot answers serious before directing his attention to the small kid running directly toward him. "What's up buddy!" He greets Elli placing his hand up to receive a hi five from his little hand.

"What are you doing here?" Elli asks him with eyes full of doubt. "It's not weekend yet."

"I came to deliver some photos to your mother." Then Kathy appears and walks towards them with a look of anguish.

"Hello." She says. "I'm sorry to make you come." She says sincerely. "But Maureen will kill me if I don't take these photos today."

"Hello… No problem." Elliot responds by pulling an envelope from inside his leather jacket. "I brought all I found."

"Dad!" Elizabeth appears in the main entrance of the door and greets him excitedly. She drops the enormous pink suitcase that she had on hand to run toward his father. "How are you?!" She asks really interested in knowing the answer. She has not seen her old man in a month and a half been to busy at school and with her social life.

"Hey princess!" Elliot greets his daughter giving her a big hug. "I'm fine. And you? How are the finals going?" He asks letting her know that he is aware of her life.

"Well ... not bad." She says without much encouragement. "I really need my vacations with my dad."

"Elli! Get away from that thing!" Kathy tells her child who is fascinated watching the large motorcycle. "Why did you bring that here." She complains babbling.

"Let's not start with that." Elliot answers reluctantly.

"you didn't bring Liv?" Elli asks calling everyone's attention.

"Ahm ... No." Elliot replies somewhat uncomfortable for the looks given by his children and ex-wife.  
"Ash ... I haven't seen her." The child complains without realizing anything.

"Auntie Livie? Maureen told us that you have talk to her again." Elizabeth announces to her father letting him know they are aware of HIS life. "You gave her the invitation? Is she coming?"

"Yes I gave it. I'm not sure if she will be able to go." Ell answered truthfully. He couldn't see Olivia again after the past weekend and has only spoken to her a few times on the phone. She has promised to tell that night if she can or not.

"Elizabeth can you come and lift your suitcase please?" Kathy orders her pointing the pink suitcase at the entrance of the house. "You have to upload the dresses at the end so thatthey do not crease; and take Kathleen's suitcase."

"I'm going for it." George announces entering the house. Elliot rushes to help her daughter raise her suitcase in the truck.

"Did you package your entire closet?" Elliot teases her. Kathy tries to accommodate those already in the car and gets the pink suitcase some space.

"And… how is Olivia?" She asks trying to sound casual. She is really interested in this information as far as she knows after what had happened to Elliot things didn't finished very well between them.

"Ahm ... fine." Elliot replies dryly without wanting to give too much information. "You don't mind if she goes, do you?"

"Of course not. Elliot, there's no reason why it should bother me." Kathy answers somewhat annoyed by the aggression in her ex husband's voice.

"Here's the other suitcase." George appears with what seems to be the last bag.

"And kathleen?" Elliot asks noticing the absence of his daughter.

"She leaves a week ago." George explains it. Elliot nods smiling, remembering how his daughters were so animated with all the wedding preparations.

"Is everyone ready?! Elli, I want you to go to the bathroom before we left. Richard, can you check that all windows are closed please. Elizabeth, unplug all the electrical appliances. George, we only re missing the three dresses." Kathy gets everyone into action. "Elliot, do not forget to wear the suit neatly pressed. Please don't even think on appearing on that thing." She asks pointing the motorcycle making Elliot to roll his eyes. "It's dangerous. Believe it or not I worry about you. And we do not want everyone noticing the bride's father midlife crisis."

"Enough." Elliot asks her feeling annoyed. He walks to the entrance of the house looking for his children.

"Kids! I'm leaving!" He announces from the doorway. The first to appear is Elli who comes out of the bathroom drying her hands. "Flush it." And he goes back in to pull the toilet's chain.

"I will not forget again." He promises running to his father who raises him in arms.

"See you there, okay?"

"Yep." Elizabeth and Richard are ready to go. Elliot says goodbye to them with a big hug before leaving. George makes sure to close the door. Everyone up to the truck each listing the things they are supposed to bring. Elliot helps the small one to sit in his seat before closing the door.

"Drive carefully, those are my kids." He says George with an expression full of seriousness before he starts the car ready to go.

-/ / - Decisions - \ \-

The next day morning Elliot went to his classes at school waiting impatiently for departure time. Once his classes end he goes straight to his house to take a quick shower and get ready his suitcase. Olivia has already confirmed that she can take off for the weekend and have agreed to drive together. News that has greatly encouraged Elliot. No denying that he is nervous about the wedding and ultimately Olivia's presence will give the calm he needs.

Elliot has everything ready at home and should only wait for her to arrive. They have agreed to take the her car because it is, in her opinion, much more comfortable than his small Chevy or lil 'car as Elli calls it. He is lying on the sofa in his living room with his suitcase ready at the door. He hadn't stopped thinking about that flower arrangement he received for her but he do not dare to ask. The jealous male Stabler appears though it is not something new; but this time he can accept his jealousy without guilt. And, although he doesn't really think that the rookie detective can be competition with him he has already come up with a plan for the weekend hopping she agrees. Maybe he can get to discover if the flowers were actually from the young detective or if it is someone else he should worry about.

Soon he hears the distinguishable motor of the mustang parked outside his home. He is quick to get up and opens the door to find the car top down and a smiling Olivia who hails from the driver's seat. Ell is quick, takes his suitcase and his suit, ensures to have everything he needs and closes the door of the house with two keys. He walks to the car and watches as Olivia gets off retiring her ray-ban glasses.

"Are you ready?" She asks with a smile. Elliot doesn't answer with words but rather he just nods before coming to her and steals a little kiss from her lips. Olivia freezes and is speechless while he handles to put his suitcase in the back seat. He turns to her to find a grimace of disapproval.

"What?" Ell asks trying to hide his grin. He loves how nervous she gets when he kisses her out of nowhere. And indeed he has missed her. They have not put in words what is happening between them but he really don't need words to express what he feels.

"You are taking a lot of freedom with this, Stabler." She complains remembering the kisses he has already stolen her and not thinking in which she has stolen him.

"I missed you." He says coming back to her personal space, daring to be flirty with her immediately feeling the strangeness in the air.

"Err ...me too." Liv answers trying to follow his game without much success.

"Does it bother you?" He asks moving slightly backwards.

"A little. I don't… ahm, I don't really know what we are doing and..." She is interrupted again by his lips.

"Tell you what." Elliot says seeing her in the eye. "Let's not put words in this." He asks after that she nods. It has always been like this between them. Speaking of complicated things is not easy for them. It has never been easy and it will never be. "I have no idea what is happening either but I feel good for the first time in months. A weekend let's just forget about Stabler and Benson… lets be Elliot and Olivia. ok?"

"Eventually..." She says leaning back in her car. "You've lost your head." She mocks trying to hide her nervousness. So many years trying to keep that barrier between them and now it seems to be completely nonexistent. She is afraid ... A lot. In addition, there is a flower ornament among her living room which has entrusted to complicate her life even more. She knows that Elliot was who received them and is sure that the situation pursues him as it pursues her. A situation that has to be solved soon.

"Okay then forget it." Elliot answers for her. "Give me the keys, Benson." He asks stretching his right hand.

"What? You really are crazy if you think I'll let you drive my BABY." She answers with a laugh mocking at how Elliot calls his motorcycle.

"You are making fun of me right?" He says without much encouragement

"Noooo! How can you believe that." She replies with a sarcastic tone. "Get in it's getting late." She orders as she opens her own door and gets up in the driver's side.

"The stubborn Benson." Elliot babbles saying the nickname he has given her since he met her. She just laughs and puts her sunglasses back. She turns to see him and with her right hand s points out the passenger seat giving him a smile.

"Come on!" She says starting the engine. Elliot rolls his eyes and shakes his head slightly before circling the vehicle. He gets on the Mustang without opening the door jumping up and when he lands into his seat he complains.

"I'm too old for a convertible." He says massaging his back.

"And for a motorcycle." Olivia tells him mockingly. She takes the shifter moving it but before starting to move she turns to see Elliot with a twisted smile. "One weekend?" She says repeating his proposal what makes him smile from ear to ear.

"One weekend, forget about all the problems one weekend." He says encouragingly. She is silent for a couple of seconds thinking about it.

"One weekend." She accepts removing the brake and stepping in the accelerator pedal. She must accept that it is not a bad idea to get away from their problems for a couple of days. So this is how they are headed to the Hamptons with a good weekend waiting for them.

AN: THANKS FOR READING! LET ME KNOW YOUR GUESSES… :)


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